UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday strongly criticized PR agencies for their involvement with Big Oil, urging these firms to "stop acting as enablers to planetary destruction."In his speech commemorating World Environment Day in New York, Guterres condemned these agencies for aiding the fossil fuel industry in its attempts to delay climate action through greenwashing, legal threats, lobbying, and extensive advertising campaigns.“They have been aided and abetted by advertising and PR companies — Mad Men fueling the madness. I call on these companies to cease enabling planetary destruction. Stop taking on new fossil fuel clients from today and make plans to drop your existing ones. Fossil fuels are not only poisoning our planet but are also toxic for your brand,” Guterres declared.He emphasized that the sector is full of creative minds already mobilizing for the cause, moving towards companies that are protecting the planet instead of harming it.He called on countries to act. "Many governments restrict or prohibit advertising for products that harm human health, like tobacco. Some are now doing the same with fossil fuels. I urge every country to ban advertising from fossil fuel companies. And I urge news media and tech companies to stop accepting fossil fuel advertising,” he added.This was not the first time Guterres has rebuked the PR industry for its ties with fossil fuel clients. In a speech before the General Assembly in September 2022, he urged world leaders to tax fossil fuel companies and their supporters, including PR firms.Clean Creatives, an organisation advocating for agencies to sever ties with fossil fuel companies, praised Guterres’ speech.“UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ call for advertising and PR agencies to cut ties with fossil fuel polluters is historic. Today marks a turning point in the advertising and PR industry’s relationship with climate change and fossil fuels. Agencies can no longer claim they are doing the right thing when working with polluters. Everyone knows this is wrong, and everyone needs to act,” said executive director Duncan Meisel. Over 1,100 advertising, PR, and creative companies have taken the Clean Creatives pledge to refuse work from Big Oil, positioning them as true leaders on this issue. In contrast, Edelman renewed its global partnership with Shell in May, making it a primary target for climate activists. During the 2022 Climate Week, Clean Creatives covered parts of lower Manhattan with posters urging agencies, especially Edelman, to drop their fossil fuel clients.
