Calling for B Lab to take action

Over the past few months, GOOD has been challenging B Lab, the body that grants B Corp accreditation, on their stance on B Corp agencies working with fossil fuel clients. 

This was following comments made by Chris Turner, Exec Director of B Lab UK, in The Drum that “B Lab has not stipulated the exact industries that B Corps cannot work with.” He was responding to the news that Shell’s media account was up for review, and Havas, which has B Corp agencies within the group, would be pitching for the account. 

In response to that initial comment, we, with the backing of Clean Creatives, Creatives for Climate and 19 other agencies, wrote to Chris Turner to ask B Lab to make a clear and unambiguous decision on those agencies that work with fossil fuel clients. We asked that not working with fossil fuel and high polluting clients be a requirement of achieving and retaining B Corp status.

We are totally committed to B Lab’s core belief that business should have a positive impact on people and the planet. And we wish to work with B Lab to help achieve this through the community they have created and represent. But we need clear guidelines on B Corp accredited agencies not working for fossil fuel companies. B Lab will not accept a fossil fuel company to be B Corp accredited, so why should the standards be different for any B Corp business that is supporting, facilitating, funding and promoting the very fossil fuel businesses that B Lab won’t work with? 

Our letter opened up a conversation with B Lab, followed by a meeting with B Lab UK & B Lab Europe. It was a very frustrating meeting. Their response was extremely vague and ambiguous, and crucially they said that a resolution on this issue may not be possible until they had completed a review of all their standards and systems, which could take over a year.

To tackle the climate crisis, we need immediate and considered action. We need clear commitment and strong leadership from B Lab on not working with fossil fuel clients 

Action

This week, we have submitted an official complaint letter to B Lab, alongside Clean Creatives and 25 communications and advertising agencies. The complaint requests immediate action on B Corp certified agencies working with the fossil fuel industry.

This is in response to Havas, which has several B Corp agencies within the group, winning Shell’s media account. This sparked a widespread backlash from climate campaigners and other purpose-driven agencies.

The complaint calls for B Labs to take action to address advertising and PR agencies with B Corp status that work with fossil fuel polluters, and describes how it undermines the core values of the B Corp movement.

The requests we posed in the complaint letter to B Lab are to:

Declare and apply the same criteria to B Corp advertising and PR agencies with fossil fuel and high polluter clients as are applied to fossil fuel and high polluting companies themselves

Declare and apply the same criteria to parent companies of B Corps.

Action the steps above immediately.

We are asking B Lab to take action and enforce the change to demonstrate the values they claim, and which all B Corp businesses sign up to. We hope that what comes from this is clarity and leadership from B Lab. We worked to achieve B Corp status because we want to drive change, and so do the clients we work with. This is a moment for B Lab to do the same, for the future of the planet.

Read more in:

Campaign 

The Drum

AdAge

Sustainability Beat