🔥 Today the Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres called on ad and PR agencies to cut ties with the fossil fuel industry by next year.
🗣️ “Many in the fossil fuel industry have shamelessly greenwashed, even as they have sought to delay climate action – with lobbying, legal threats, and massive ad campaigns. They have been aided and abetted by advertising and PR companies – Mad Men fuelling the madness. I call on these companies to stop acting as enablers to planetary destruction.”
“Stop taking on new fossil fuel clients, from today, and set out plans to drop your existing ones. Fossil fuels are not only poisoning our planet – they’re toxic for your brand. Your sector is full of creative minds who are already mobilising around this cause. They are gravitating towards companies that are fighting for our planet – not trashing it.”
This is a turning point in the advertising and PR industry’s relationship with fossil fuels. There is no longer any cover for agencies to say that they are doing the right thing when working with polluters. Everyone knows this is wrong, and everyone needs to act.
Two years ago the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change laid out the case for how fossil fuel PR and advertising accelerates the climate emergency. That is now reflected in dozens of bans on advertising by local governments, and a growing number of actions by regulators across the world.
The pressure will not stop, but the opportunity for those who act could also not be greater. By acting now, the ad and PR industry can be leaders in the clean energy revolution, rather than the voice of its opposition.
🌍 We are so grateful for the over 1,100 advertising, PR and creative companies who have already taken the Clean Creatives pledge not to work with fossil fuel companies, and to Secretary Guterres’ call to action.
We are living through the hottest years in human history, and today shows that the future of creativity really is clean.
#UnitedNations #ClimateChange #WorldEnvironmentDay #Advertising #PR #Sustainability
Marketing Effectiveness Senior Director at Mars, Author, Speaker, Lecturer, Advisor
2wWhat a great quote from an amazing human. This is how my week started and that's how it ends. Thank you Rupen Desai for rounding the circle, bringing a constant smile around and storing bags like a pro! I owe you 😁