Let’s hear it for the folks at Fossil Free Media who are behind the Clean Creative Campaign to get PR and Ad agencies to stop misleading the public by making fossil fuel companies look like they are part of the solution, rather than the main source of the Climate Crisis.
Their latest, and most brilliant move was the collaboration with 450 scientists who last week wrote a letter that calls out the harmful effects of the disinformation that is being spread by greenwashing campaigns. We all knew they were out there; now we know how prevalent they are and how much they contribute to global heating. These campaigns overstate the sustainability efforts of oil and gas companies (like buying carbon offset credits), while the majority of their work is the production of climate-changing fossil fuels.
How do PR and Ad executives succeed in turning the narrative away from the planet-polluting work of the fossil fuel industry? They use a technique known as “paltering,” or the active use of selective truthful statements to mislead. A cousin of the lie of omission, paltering was made famous in the 2016 Presidential election. Sure, fossil fuel companies are purchasing carbon credits, but they are using them to build additional fossil fuel production plants, or the like.
You almost have to hand it to the malevolent geniuses who do this work. Void of scruples to be sure, the results they achieve are impressive. Take their ability to change public focus from, say, the largest and most damaging explosion of oil gushing into the ocean, to the effect each person can have on the planet by monitoring her own daily carbon footprint through a “carbon footprint calculator.” Reported in The Boston Globe a few weeks ago, campaigns that reframe the climate crisis into an “issue of individual responsibility,” were wildly effective in shifting our gaze from the fossil fuel industry – which has been responsible for 71 percent of carbon emissions since 1988 — to our own individual culpability.
As a PR practitioner, I can disparage the intent and outcome of the campaign and admire the skill behind it.
But what if all that talent was used as a force for good? It is possible! As reported recently in PR Week, there is a rise in the number of agencies seeking B Corp Certification. The public awareness now being cultivated through the Clean Creative Campaign shows how important PR and Ad campaigns are in shaping culture, behavior, and public opinion. This is cause for celebration. As a B-Corp Certified PR firm, and a founding member of the Boston Chapter of Conscious Capitalism, we are very happy to welcome them to the club.
Companies of all kinds and nonprofits can do their part in this revolution by supporting the growing number of conscious agencies that are doing the good work. Here is a check list to use when seeking to align your company or organization with a firm that shares its values:
- As mentioned above, seek out a Certified B Corp PR or Ad agency. There is a list of all B Corp Certified Companies on the B Corp website. If the firm is on that list, it means they set and adhere to strict standards for employee and environmental wellbeing.
- Review the agency’s client list. An agency that operates with integrity, whether certified or not, will only take on work that is good for people and the planet. No exceptions here. Think of an agency as a club you either do, or do not, want your brand to join.
- Ask the agency leaders about their purpose and values. Why does the firm exist?
- Inquire about the longevity of the relationships between the agency and its clients. When clients are well-served, they do not jump ship in search of something “better.”
When brands support the agencies that live and work by positive values, they are helping to build the Business as a Force for Good movement, which must continue to grow for the climate crisis to be contained. The trifecta of government, nonprofits AND business is needed to do this critical, planet-preserving work.
