AXA Climate Q&A: How Good Comms Can Mitigate Climate Change

Effective communication is vital in tackling climate change. With this in mind, AXA Climate has launched The Climate Studio, a dedicated creative agency aimed at accelerating the ecological transition through strategic messaging.

This new initiative enhances AXA Climate’s existing range of services, which extend well beyond traditional insurance. The environmental arm of the Paris-based insurance giant already offers B2B consultancy, SaaS solutions, and climate adaptation training. Now, it is expanding into sustainability-focused marketing and public relations.

As industries worldwide face growing pressure to adopt sustainable practices, the need for clear and impactful communication has never been greater. The Climate Studio is designed to support organisations in developing brand strategies, crafting compelling campaigns, and engaging both internal and external audiences on climate-related issues.

Heading up this new venture is Claire Bayet, a seasoned communications expert with a strong background in sustainable storytelling.

In this interview, we delve into her insights on The Climate Studio and its broader mission.

Could you introduce yourself, your role and what you do at AXA’s Climate Studio?

Hi, I’m Claire Bayet. I spent 10 years in brand strategy at French ad agencies, including seven years at BETC.

Now, I’ve joined AXA Climate to launch and lead The Climate Studio — a small creative house focused on climate action and helping organisations communicate their ecological transition.

Could you tell us how the idea for Climate Studio first came about?

AXA Climate helps organisations tackle and adapt to climate change through consulting, SaaS tools, parametric insurance and training.

While leading the training division, Antoine Poincaré realised that many clients struggled to communicate their commitments clearly.

So, a year after our first conversation, he suggested we create a dedicated service.

At BETC, I loved the people and the work, but this was a unique opportunity to bring together my brand strategy experience and my interest in climate issues with AXA Climate’s scientific rigour.

And that’s how Climate Studio was born.

What kinds of services does the Climate Studio offer and what kinds of issues does it address?

We’re just like a small creative agency fully dedicated to climate action and CSR.

We help organisations with brand strategy, creative ideas, and content creation—both online and offline—for internal and external audiences.

In reality, our clients ask themselves the same questions as other communication agency clients, but in the context of climate action and ecological services. And in answering them, we try to make sure that advertising shortcuts don’t turn into dead ends.

What kinds of clients is the Climate Studio targeting?

We work with any organisation that is committed to sustainability and needs or wants dedicated communication.

This includes large companies, start-ups, NGOs and public sector bodies.

We already collaborate for internal mobilisation campaigns with beauty, luxury, insurance and banking companies — some of which also benefit from AXA Climate’s training and consulting.

For you, what is the importance of communication?

I think it was Pablo Servigne (a French collapsologist) who said: “Half of the work in the ecological transition will be done by artists.” And that’s nothing new — stories have always been powerful.

Even Bill Bernbach of DBB called advertisers “the shapers of society,” urging us to elevate it rather than “brutalise” it.

But storytelling won’t work if it’s built on deception. We act surprised that trust in brands — and even employees' trust in their own companies' environmental claims — is fading.

Yet, in France, for example, one in eight print ads on these topics exaggerates reality. Without creative, clear and credible messaging, the transition to sustainability simply won’t happen.

For you, what is the most exciting part of the Climate Studio?

If I’m being honest, the most exciting part of Climate Studio now is challenging my advertising instincts by working with different minds—especially science experts. After 10 years in advertising, you tend to be surrounded by people with similar references.

At AXA Climate, the office is full of scientists, climate consultants and learning experts. In my first week, someone introduced themselves by saying, “Hi, I’m in charge of cyclones in the Gulf of Mexico.”

That level of scientific expertise and rigour is what truly sets us apart from other creative studios. Our strength lies in our deep understanding of environmental issues and our ability to tap into climate experts at every stage of the creative process.

This ensures we approach these topics with precision and integrity—avoiding the pitfalls of greenwashing, which remains all too common in this field.

For example, when working with industries for which decarbonisation is particularly challenging, we integrate a scientific committee into the project from day one. And for me, that level of integrity is rare and exciting.

Are you optimistic about the future of global sustainability? 

I won’t lie — I’m reading The Deluge by Stephen Markley, and I’m struggling to finish it because I’m not sure I really want to know how it ends.

So, at the start of 2025, optimism feels hard to come by. And yet, that’s exactly why I’m here.

I have no choice but to do what I do best: helping brands communicate their efforts and trying to inspire people to join the movement.

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