Commentary
B-Corp Agencies Demand Havas, Others Be Stripped Of B Corp Status
- by Richard Whitman , Columnist, October 20, 2023
Last month, right around the time Havas won the Shell media account, industry watchdog group Clean Creatives issued its latest “F-list” that documents the contracts between fossil fuel companies and advertising and PR agencies that promote their products and services.
Now CC has coordinated a demand by 26 advertising and communications agencies that B Lab strip B Corp status from agencies working with fossil fuel companies and other major environmental polluters.
It noted that several Havas-owned agencies with B Corp status will be working on the Shell account.
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The letter demanded that B Lab apply the same criteria to B Corp advertising and PR agencies with fossil fuel and high polluter clients as are applied to those companies themselves. It also wants B Lab to apply the same criteria to parent companies of B Corps.
The co-signers of the letter have B Corp status and have taken the Clean Creatives pledge not to work with fossil fuel companies and other major polluters.
The full complaint letter can be read here.
Clean Creatives’ latest F-List documents 500 fossil fuel contracts currently held by nearly 300 advertising and PR agencies for the 2022-23 period.
It isn’t clear how many on the list have B-Corp status. In addition to certain Havas agencies, the complaint letter points to agency MSQ’s work for Shell and Omnicom’s Tam-Tam\TBWA’s work for PetroCanada.
Responding to the letter Havas issued a statement:
“At Havas, our mission is to make a meaningful difference to brands, businesses, and people. We believe the ability to enact change comes most effectively from within. This is why we are invested in supporting all companies in their communications provided that they are engaged in a transformation journey.
Our level of commitment towards sustainability at a group level remains unchanged. Our goal is to involve our clients, talents, and suppliers in a responsible communications approach, and to raise the standards of the profession.
We greatly value and respect B-Lab and the rigorous B-Corp process. Havas’ creative agencies, including Havas New York, Havas London, Havas Lemz and Havas Immerse, that currently hold B-Corp certification, remain committed to their sustainability goals, alongside all our other agencies around the world. They welcome the opportunity to dialogue with B-Lab or any certification agency and will share any requested details/information through any review processes.”
Havas' work for Shell has not begun yet, the firm noted. The new contract for media services starts Jan. 1.
