Clean Creatives has published a list of agencies with coal, oil, and gas clients
- A movement within the advertising industry, under the name Clean Creatives, pledges not to accept work from fossil fuel companies.
- Clean Creatives say that advertising campaigns for fossil fuel companies have for decades been involved in sophisticated public deception.
- The group are calling on the premier South African advertising awards, The Loeries, to ban work done on behalf of fossil fuel companies.
Advertising and public relations (PR) agencies running campaigns for fossil fuel companies are being taken to task by their colleagues for aiding climate catastrophe by greenwashing the environmental harm caused by their client's activities.
For the first time, a report listing 41 advertising and PR agencies with current and historic contracts with coal, oil, and gas companies has been released by the South African chapter of a global coalition of media agencies called Clean Creatives.
Along with the publication on Wednesday of what they call the SA F-List,
The SA F-List is contained in a report titled 'Fueling A Perfect Storm', in which
Read the Clean Creatives report
Researched and compiled by
Drawing on established science, the report goes on to state the resulting global heating is leading to extreme weather events. An increasingly unstable climate threatens our food security, health, and the ecosystems we depend on for survival.
"Despite knowing their product is endangering all of humanity, fossil fuel companies have spent decades deceiving the public by sowing doubt about climate change and lobbying to delay climate regulation," states the report.
"Advertising and public relations companies are key agents in this massive and sophisticated ongoing campaign of public deception."
One of the campaigns singled out is Total's rebrand to
Horn notes
The EACOP, which runs through the
Edelman South Africa could not be reached for comment.
Although his sources are not cited, Horn states
Meanwhile, fossil fuel companies "use misleading advertising and PR strategies to delay a just transition away from polluting fossil fuels towards clean solutions such as wind, solar and energy storage".
He says advertising agencies' justification that they are helping their fossil fuel clients navigate the just transition by helping them to communicate their commitment to clean energy is indefensible when in reality their clients are directing just 1% of their capital expenditure on renewables, with the rest going to fossil fuel exploration and extraction.
The report states advertising agencies "have a unique opportunity to educate people about climate change and influence sustainable behaviour".
"From the
But
"Advertising is a cornerstone of capitalism, a driving force that encourages consumers to purchase, invest in, enjoy and benefit from, a multitude of products that are quite frankly harmful to the planet and themselves," said Gordon.
"That said, they [Clean Creatives] have the right to express their views and climate change is a hot topic. I suspect they are punching above their weight and note the absence of powerful voices within their ranks."
Katlego Mahura, managing director at Idea Engineers, one of the agencies named on the
"By engaging constructively with this sector, we can contribute to positive change and progress towards a more sustainable future," said Mahura.
The Loerie Award organisers and numerous advertising and PR agencies on the
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