Campaigners Report WPP: Is Fossil Fuel Advertising Over?
The world’s largest ad firm, WPP, has been reported to international corporate watchdog the OECD by NGOs Adfree Cities and the New Weather Institute.
The complaint alleges that WPP has breached rules of climate and human rights through its advertising work for major polluters.
The firm has a client list with many oil and gas companies including Saudi Aramco, Shell, ExxonMobil, bp and Chevron.
Veronica Wignall, Co-Director at Adfree Cities, said: “It’s been said that advertisers are the architects of desire.
“I look around and see ads everywhere for SUVs, plastic polluter giants and long distance flights, in between newsreels of climate disasters and nature loss.
“It is now both morally unforgivable and a legal risk to do promotional work for toxic brands like Shell and Coke.
“WPP is currently working against the greener, fairer future the world urgently needs; we’re calling on WPP to live up to its climate pledges and stop promoting polluters.”
A spokesperson for WPP says: “Contrary to the claims being made, we adhere to the highest regulatory standards in our work for clients.
“If the UK and other countries want stronger economic growth and the benefits this brings to society, companies need to be able to market their goods and services, within a clear framework of rules and codes of practice.
“Along with our clients and the rest of the advertising industry, we take great care to comply with all marketing regulation, and we are proud to act as a catalyst for growth across every sector of the economy.”
Concerns over fossil fuel advertising
This is not the first time advertising and PR agencies have been called out for sustainability concerns over fossil fuel advertising.
In June 2024, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “Many in the fossil fuel industry have shamelessly greenwashed, even as they have sought to delay climate action – with lobbying, legal threats and massive ad campaigns.
“They have been aided and abetted by advertising and PR companies – Mad Men fuelling the madness.”
Purpose Disruptors found that the advertised emissions of the UK ad industry were equivalent to adding 32% to the carbon emissions of every citizen in 2022.
The BMJ committed to ban fossil fuel linked research and advertising in 2020 and expanded this to cover BMJ Open and BMJ Medicine in 2024.
Harj Narulla, Barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, who co-wrote the complaint, said: “This complaint to the OECD NCP marks a step-change in legal risk for advertisers working to facilitate fossil fuel companies and other major polluters.
“Our complaint clearly shows that by representing high emitting clients, WPP is in breach of its human rights, climate and environmental duties under the OECD Guidelines. WPP must disengage from these clients and start meeting its due diligence and disclosure obligations.”
The potential benefits of fossil fuel advertising
A spokesperson for ISBA said: “If we want an economy and environment fit for the 21st century, then sectors from energy to FMCG need to be able to invest in change.
“In part, that investment comes from their continued operation, while they research, develop and switch to the products and services which will underpin a more sustainable future.”
A spokesperson for the Advertising Association said: “It is important to remember that advertising plays a fundamental role in supporting businesses to generate jobs.
“All advertising in the UK must comply with strict content rules enforced by the ASA and the regulations on environmental claims must also comply with the CMA’s green claims code. On very rare occasions advertisers fall foul of these rules and the ads are amended or withdrawn.
“Leading advertising businesses are working hard to decarbonise their supply chains and WPP has set an ambitious net zero target of 2030.”
A spokesperson for the IPA said: “This challenge against WPP seems to us to not only be without foundation but also misguided.
“Virtually all advertising undertaken by WPP on behalf of the clients cited in the complaint, to our knowledge, complies with the Advertising Standards Authority and the other regulations pertaining to environmental claims.
“Furthermore, we would draw attention to the wider actions taken by WPP, as one of the World’s leading Communications networks, to be amongst the leaders of their peer group in working towards a net zero target for their own business.”
For now, the outcome of this complaint is in the hands of the OECD.
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