Clean Creatives Milestone: 1,000 agencies commit to anti-fossil fuel pledge

The anti-fossil fuel campaign group Clean Creatives has reached a significant milestone: 1,000 advertising and public relations agencies worldwide have signed their pledge to refuse work for the fossil fuel industry. This represents a doubling of pledges since April 2023, showcasing the movement's rapid growth and a rising concern within the creative industries about responsible practices in light of climate change.

The movement boasts pledges from renowned agencies like Mother New York, Lucky Generals, Allison, and GALE. The U.S. leads the pack with 350 signatories, followed closely by the U.K. at 265. Canada, South Africa, Germany, Australia, Netherlands, and Sweden also show strong representation.

The 1,000 agencies encompass various specialties: design, creative, branding, public relations, digital, strategy, production, web development, consulting, and more. Notably, 138 of the signatories are B-Corp certified, demonstrating a commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

Clean Creatives surveyed 95 of their signatories to understand their motivations and the pledge's impact. The top reasons for joining were alignment with agency values and mission, followed by a desire to make a positive climate impact. Interestingly, improved employee recruitment and retention emerged as a key benefit. Agencies reported that the pledge strengthens their purpose, attracting and retaining talent who value sustainability. Furthermore, 37% of agencies experienced positive impacts on existing client relationships, highlighting potential alignment with client values.

Clean Creatives marked this milestone with a lighthearted Earth Day video featuring a Rube Goldberg machine, referencing iconic advertising concepts, and culminating with a "clean creative" extinguishing a dumpster fire. The campaign encourages advertising leaders to embrace their role as "the good guys" in the fight against climate change and calls for further agency participation.

Duncan Meisel, Executive Director of Clean Creatives, applauds the pledged agencies for demonstrating leadership on climate action. He emphasizes the importance of holding advertising and PR giants accountable through the annual "F-List," which exposes current contracts between fossil fuel companies and these agencies. The list challenges companies like Omnicom, WPP, IPG, Publicis, Dentsu, and Havas to sever ties with the fossil fuel industry.

Clean Creatives welcomes all agencies to join their movement. Meisel concludes with optimism, stating, "We are incredibly proud to stand with these 1,000 agencies, and I think we can look forward to many more joining them."