After a 60-Day Review of Its Roster, Edelman Is Sticking With Polluters—For Now

After reviewing its client roster to align with a new climate strategy, the world's largest PR firm made no commitment to end its work for fossil fuel clients. Instead, the company's CEO Richard Edelman told Adweek that it will work alongside clients to improve their climate plans and reduce emissions and impact. "We're going to have engagement about a path forward based on our principles," he said. "We clearly want to be with companies that are accelerating action. But if we can't, then we will part company." Edelman launched this 60-day review of its operations and client roster in November. The announcement followed a campaign by climate activists that demanded Edelman cut ties with ExxonMobil due to the oil company impact on climate. Now, just 53 days later, the company said it's finished the review—but won't leave fossil fuel brands behind. That's not enough, according to Christine Arena, former executive vice president at Edelman. "The only way for PR and ad agencies to lead on climate is by eliminating the misleading messages that directly contribute to predatory delay, confuse the public and hold our country back from needed climate policy that could save millions of lives," Arena said. I Left a Major Agency Because of Its Stance on Climate Change Nipping greenwash in the bud? This new announcement comes amid growing criticism of the PR industry for the way that it shapes and often obstructs climate policy, with Edelman at the center of the discussion. Still, the firm said its next moves will offer the context necessary to address a central criticism often levied at Edelman: that it promotes certain polluters' sustainability work while ignoring the majority of its business, despite that sustainability work only taking up 1 or 2% of its overall operations. The result is greenwashing, activists argue. Starting next week, Edelman said it will conduct discussions with clients to confirm its findings from the review. It will then align its relationships along six principles, which Richard Edelman outlined in a blog post published today. The principles include working with those committed to accelerating action to "net zero" and in compliance with the Paris Accords, putting science and facts first, advancing best practices and standards for climate communications, ensuring inclusivity, focusing on a just transition and holding themselves accountable. Turning Agencies Against Fossil Fuel Brands Harkens Back to the Tobacco Wars It's also bringing in external climate and communications experts to advise the firm as it moves forward. Edelman will also work with climate and systems change company SYSTEMIQ to help develop "transition pathways" for each industry sector. Edelman will require climate communications training for all staff, and fund a global climate communications council with other communications firms "that will explore ways and make recommendations for enhancing implementation of Article 12 of the Paris Agreement," Edelman wrote in today's blog post. (Article 12 outlines the need for climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and public access to information.) Through these initiatives, Edelman hopes to address the root cause of communications that misrepresent polluters' sustainability work, said global chair of climate practice Robert Casamento, who was hired in November in conjunction with the firm's new climate strategy. "But that doesn't mean walking away from the organizations that have a deep commitment to transition and accelerated action," Casamento added. "We deeply believe in partnering with those clients." How PR Firms Shape—and Often Obstruct—Climate Change Policies Don't skip the fine print Arena argued that the firm should go a step further to address greenwashing by incorporating that "fine print" directly into the ads. "If they are producing an ad for biofuels on behalf of Exxon, then add contextual copy explaining the fact that just 0.16% of Exxon’s resources fund low carbon projects," Arena suggested. She left Edelman in 2015 over concerns about the firm's work for fossil fuel clients, and now runs a production company called Generous Films. "If they are producing an ad for a natural gas, then include a warning label explaining the fact that methane has 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide and also produces CO2 when burned. Correct factual omissions, distortions and greenwash proactively—before lawmakers force you to. Educate and guide your clients and employees accordingly. Elevate standards and then uphold them." Young Marketers Want Agencies That Align With Their Values—Especially on Climate Issues Clean Creatives, the activist group that's been pressuring Edelman (as well as all ad and PR agencies) to cut ties with fossil fuel companies since late 2020, was unimpressed by today's announcement. "It seems that Edelman CEO Richard Edelman never took this review process seriously," the group's director, Duncan Meisel, told Adweek. "There were no outside experts involved, no transparent standards for evaluating clients’ climate goals, and he didn’t even take the full 60 days he said would be required," Meisel added. "With this move, Edelman is branding itself as the agency only polluters can trust, and it will do damage to their reputation, their clients and staff."