WFA signs more companies to 'Planet Pledge'

L’Oréal, NatWest and PepsiCo have agreed to join Unilever, Diageo and eight others as signatories to the World Federation of Advertisers’ Planet Pledge.

Introduced in April with 10 companies onboard (Bayer, Danone, Diageo, Dole Packaged Foods, Mastercard, Ørsted, Reckitt, Telefónica, Tesco and Unilever), the pledge is described as a global commitment for these companies to make their marketing teams a force for positive change both internally and with consumers.

The pledge encourages CMOs to take action in four key areas:

1. Commit to championing the Race to Zero ahead of November's UN Climate Change Summit COP 26, both internally and in their marketing supply chains.
2. Scale the capability of marketing organisations to lead for climate action by providing tools and guidance for marketers and agencies
3. Harness the power of marketing communications to drive more sustainable consumer behaviours
4. Reinforce a trustworthy marketing environment: Sustainability claims should be easily substantiated so consumers can trust the messages they encounter.

The WFA will report progress on all these goals annually and will work with advertising standards bodies and other relevant stakeholders to deliver industry guidance that will "preserve trust in the evolving language of environmental claims in a way that enables consumers to make sustainable choices with confidence".

“I’m delighted that three new global brand leaders have signed up to the WFA Planet Pledge," said Stephan Loerke, WFA's CEO. "I know from discussions with the CMOs what a major undertaking it is. It sends a powerful message of their commitment to playing their part in developing the solutions to the climate crisis. The momentum is accelerating, and we look forward to welcoming more brands to the Planet Pledge in the future.”