Clean Creatives accuses five B Corp agencies of fossil fuel deals

Clean Creatives, an activist group pushing the PR and advertising industry to cut ties with fossil-fuel clients, has unleashed a hard-hitting report exposing five B Corp-accredited communications agencies for their entanglements with the fossil-fuel sector.

The report zeroes in on SEC Newgate for lobbying on behalf of 10 different fossil-fuel companies in Australia; Havas subsidiary Tinkle Communications, which promotes the Spanish oil major Repsol; Cullen Communications, which works with the Irish gas company Applegreen; Edit, which works with Shell on direct marketing; and Total Media, which works with gas distributor E.On.

Additionally, a previously undisclosed relationship between MSQ parent company Smarts and British Gas has been uncovered. Campaign’s sister publication PRWeek covered Smarts winning the British Gas consumer PR account in February 2024. 

Duncan Meisel, executive director of Clean Creatives, talks about the gravity of these actions in a letter to B Corp. "The scope of the work we found involves serious allegations of greenwashing, lobbying against climate action, and promotion of activities that would otherwise be prohibited for B Corps," he wrote.

He detailed specific instances, including Cullen Communications’ 'greenwashing' for Applegreen, Edit’s efforts to encourage consumption of Shell’s fossil-fuel projects. The team also found several contracts from SEC Newgate’s Australia offices lobbying against national climate action.

"The case for excluding fossil fuel agencies from B Corp certification could not be clearer. The work these B Corp agencies are doing for fossil-fuel polluters includes greenwashing gas companies, direct lobbying on behalf of coal producers, and pushing consumers to buy more gasoline, all in direct contradiction to B Lab’s mission of protecting people and the planet," stated Meisel.

Campaign Asia-Pacific reached out to B Labs for comment but has not heard back at the time of publication. However, PRWeek obtained rebuttals from the implicated agencies. 

Owen Cullen, managing director of Cullen Communications, spoke to PRWeek, dismissing Clean Creatives’ claims as “factually incorrect and misleading". He asserted that Cullen Communications was the PR agency for a forecourt retailer from 2020-22 and no longer works with this client or industry.

Cullen emphasised that their B Corp submission transparently disclosed their past services, with assessment scores publicly available. In correspondence seen by PRWeek, Meisel apologised for the error, acknowledging a database miscommunication and confirming the correction to B Lab.

“I want to sincerely and personally apologise to you for the error in our post. The change in that relationship was already noted in our database, but there was a miscommunication that should have been caught before it was made public. The post has been deleted, and I will make sure the update is noted in our correspondence with B Lab as well,” said Meisel in his correspondence with Cullen.

Meanwhile, SEC Newgate refuted the claims in a response to PRWeek, stating, “SEC Newgate UK is the B Corp accredited agency, not any other companies in the SEC Newgate group. SEC Newgate UK, accredited in January 2024, underwent a rigorous three-year evaluation, including full disclosure of our client list. We do not have petrochemicals and coal companies as clients.”

Total Media also defended its work with E.On, telling PRWeek, “E.On is [a] client, and we are proud of our relationship. We’ve published our partnership, including when we won the account and highlighted it in our recent merger with Mediaplus. Total Media is committed to transparency and constructive discussion on sustainability goals.”

Total Media reiterated its commitment to B Corp values, highlighting its internal ESG forums, early achievement of carbon neutrality, and ongoing efforts to meet net-zero targets.

B Lab, the organisation behind B Corp certification, has not yet responded to Clean Creatives' claims. The certification signifies high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Clean Creatives, along with other B Corp agencies, have urged B Lab to reconsider and possibly revoke the B Corp status of agencies promoting fossil-fuel interests. This campaign intensified after Havas won a new media account with Shell Oil, effective January 2024.

Earlier in January, B Lab initiated a formal inquiry into the B Corp status of Havas following its controversial multi-million dollar account for Shell. Despite the investigation being expected to take six months, no decision has been issued yet.

Meisel says, "Decertifying fossil-fuel agencies is vital to protecting the B Corp brand and strengthening the B Corp community."