Ethical Agencies Join New Alliance by Creatives for Climate to Raise Bar on Climate Action đ
Global Initiative Aims to Champion New Wave of Ethical Agencies to Drive Industry Change
Amsterdam, Tuesday 12 September 2023 â Several leading agencies have joined a new alliance established by global NGO Creatives for Climate to drive radical collaboration and new standard-setting across the industry.
Enviral, Fanclub PR, Kibbo Kift Agency, Leap Agency, Media Bounty and REVOLT are the first to join. To launch, they will collectively share tactics used to campaign for change in the alliance's first free and open webinar on 04 October 2023.
The alliance marks a new dawn for purpose-driven agencies to share knowledge, explore collective challenges, and launch ideas to create new standards across the industry to use creativity to accelerate climate solutions and social justice. It follows months of interviews with founders on the challenges they face in pioneering new ethical agency models, such as functioning in silos, facing time challenges to network, and competing against agencies whose values are questionable.
To join, agencies must engage three out of every ten employees on a pathway action plan created by the NGO calling for radical collaboration, upskilling to tackle greenwashing, and an agency commitment to divest from representing the world's worst polluters - fossil fuel companies.
Beginning in Europe, the Ethical Agency Alliance will soon launch across Asia-Pacific, where it will be led by newly appointed New Zealand Chapter Lead Antonia Estall. By launching in The Global North and then the South, the alliance aims to facilitate knowledge across diverse regions through its global collaboration Hub.
“Itâs no secret that running an agency is hard work, and running an ethical agency is even harder. Saying no to promoting harmful clients comes with a cost, and we want to support the agencies raising the bar so that we can inspire and provoke the whole industry to do the same.”
Participating Agency Quotes
“We are committed to using our services to drive the social and environmental movement forward, and joining the alliance is a great opportunity to work with others on this collective mission, bigger than any single one of us can tackle alone. From an industry perspective, the notion of âcreativity for goodâ is under threat if we donât distinguish between agencies walking the walk on climate action and transformation and those just putting occasional climate-related projects on their website. We want to show what a real commitment to take action looks like”
“The worldâs leading climate scientists at the IPCC have named PR and advertisers as standing in the way of solutions to climate change. If our industries continue to do so, weâre staring down the barrel of planetary catastrophe. This alliance unites agencies that are pioneering a more responsible use of their powers to influence, experiment, collaborate, and combine our talents to save the planet we call home.”
“At REVOLT, we believe the time is now to embody âMax Good.â This alliance isnât just about alignment; itâs a call to action. We urge every agency, every creative, to stand up, to pivot, and to harness the power of âMax Good.â Together, we can and will redefine the industryâs trajectory.”
“From awards shows to lacklustre accreditation to greenwashing, hypocrisy in the industry is rife. Itâs often infuriating and lonely as a small agency to be self-governed by your own ethics and morals in a sector thatâs so influential yet lags so considerably on progress for climate and social justice. Iâm incredibly grateful to be part of a like-minded network of agencies guided by a fully transparent framework to achieve action and create change.”
“They say if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together. And right now, we need to go as far as possible to ignite the creative change our planet needs. Climate action canât be a niche, and Leap is incredibly excited to join the alliance. Creatives have always been ahead of the game, and now itâs time to bring people with us. Enough talk, enough buzzwords, enough empty policy and greenwashing. Letâs change the industry, empower positive change in our clients, and work together to redefine what âcreative agencyâ means.”
“Weâre delighted to partner with Creatives For Climate on this vital initiative. At Media Bounty, we fundamentally believe that the advertising industry has the power to make transformational change when it comes to tackling the climate emergency. Our work backs this up, and we are excited to share our extensive research and climate comms expertise with the Creative For Climate network to enable the rest of the industry to join us in our commitment to leading the way in ethical advertising.
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Industry Quotes
“Itâs so good to see communities like Creatives for Climate growing and gaining power. Itâs easy to feel like itâs all too much if you are on your own, but when you find the others, you find your power. I wish the network and team had been around when I was still working in advertising.”
“The agencies joining the Ethical Agency Alliance are frontrunners by refusing to use their creativity to help the polluters continue their polluting business, and now they are calling for more agencies to follow. They are the leaders of change.
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Agency Action-Plan Pathway Summary
Agencies must commit three out of every ten employees to a three-step pathway and commit to five core community principles which underpin the ideology of the movement. This process focuses on:
Collaboration across sectors
Upskilling in climate communications
Divestment from representing fossil fuel clients
Upon completing these steps, agencies receive a badge of certification and are added to a network aimed at fostering radical collaboration and knowledge sharing, championed by Creatives for Climate NGO as shining examples of an industry in transition.
Launch Event
To launch the Ethical Agency Alliance, a global webinar will occur on October 4th at 4 p.m. GMT. It will be a 60-minute session aimed at transcending borders, allowing attendees worldwide to learn from the ethical agencies. A link to register for the event is here.
