Belinda Noble, the founder of Comm Declare, the Australian activist group working to convince agencies away from fossil fuel clients, is frustrated.
Agencies, she describes as populated by smart, creative, successful and educated people with all the resources in the world, won’t make a stand.
“They've got such amazing power, particularly as a collective to do something about climate,” she told AdNews.
“And we're having a hard time even getting agencies to declare that they won't promote the growth of fossil fuels. They don't even have to say that they won't have a fossil fuel client. Just that they won't promote the growth of fossil fuels.
“A really low bar. They're sympathetic but they still won't actually make that declaration publicly which I find astounding.”
Comms Declare has been naming agencies with fossil fuel clients and convincing councils to ban such advertising in their local government areas.
And the organisation has questioned the sponsorship of the Walkley Awards, the premium journalism awards, by oil company Ampol.
Comms Declare started after the 2019-20 black summer bushfires. The smoke made breathing difficult even in Sydney’s well-to-do eastern suburbs.
“I wrote an article in the Herald asking people to stop promoting fossil fuels,” she says.
“And then I got approached by other people in the industry, and decided to make an organsation. We've got a committee and have around 360 members, including organisations, and some agencies.”
Noble, a television journalist and producer turned communications strategist, understands that people don't wasnt to offend others publicly.
“I get that,” she says. “But fossil fuels are responsible for 89% of greenhouse gases and 100 companies are responsible for 71% of emissions since 1988.
“By making a stand you really do make a difference, particularly Australia where we have such big exporters of fossil fuels. We need to halt fossil fuel production in the next seven years. I find that astounding, the lack of urgency.”
She wants advertising agencies to join Comms Declare.
“I'd like them to put the flag up the flagpole, actually admit that fossil fuels are the problem,” she says.
“If you work with a big polluter, are you willing to walk? Are you willing to expose them if they do the wrong thing?
“If you're going to use the inside track and work within the system for change, you’re only good up to the point where you're willing to walk and take a stand.
“Otherwise, you are complicit. And I just love to see an increase in urgency around this issue … join us and speak up for the solution, not the problem.”
Pressure on agencies is increasing. Comms Declare with Clean Creatives last year revealed a global list -- the F-List 2022 -- of more than 230 agencies working with the fossil fuel industry.
A new list, made difficult by many agencies not revealing such clients, is being compiled.
In the last year, Comms Decare has been funded for the fossil fuel campaign via the KR Foundation in Denmark, which backs civil society organisations working to accelerate the green transition.
“When we started it was all about being positive and having conversations within the industry, trying to get awareness around climate and trying to get people to drop their fossil fuel clients, more of an education engagement,” she says.
“But I have to say, after about two years of that, it wasn’t going fast enough. This is the decisive decade. We’ve got seven years to cut fossil fuels by half and the only way to do that is to change the laws because someone's always going to pick up the Exxonor the BP account, put dollars first.”
She wants to stop fossil fuel companies gaining social licence.
“We see this expressed in the brand campaigns, the greenwashing campaigns and in sponsorships,” she says.
“The other part is changing behaviours. That's always been put on the consumer but I believe the onus should be on the companies.
“They should be more transparent about the true impact of their products instead of pretending there's no impact.
“And that's where laws can come in, to ensure there's true transparency, at the very least labels of CO2 information on products.
“People want to make great choices. When you go to buy a car, are you really thinking about the co2 emissions? Probably not. Does that car have more co2 emissions than another?”
People in Australia in particular have been mainly concerned with stopping new oil, gas and coal.
“Increasingly, people are coming to realise that you can't operate without a social licence,” she says.
“And these guys, the Woodside and Santos, and everyone else, have been actively cultivating these false ideas that we need them, that they're necessary for everyday life.
“And that's a lot to fight against. So hopefully more people will join in this particular battle.”
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