Household Brands Opt for Lower Profile at COP28

Over 200 private businesses—including major brands like Google, LVMH, Mastercard, Microsoft and Unilever—will have a presence at this year's 28th annual United Nations climate summit, which kicks off today in Dubai. But after climate activists criticized Coca-Cola's sponsorship last year, many household names have chosen to keep a lower profile at the event—participating in panels and discussions but opting out of sponsor slots that would plaster their name across the summit's signage. "The focus this year is more heads down, getting the work done, than it is about branding opportunities," Aron Cramer, CEO and president of sustainability consultancy BSR, told Adweek. The summit—called the Conference of the Parties (COP), in reference to all of the states that are party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change—is intended for world leaders to get together and agree on a way forward that avoids climate catastrophe, which, given the latest Emissions Gap Report 2023, is what we're currently headed for. Greenhouse gas emissions hit an all-time high in 2022, and 2023 is looking to be the Earth's hottest on record. An oil-soaked summit While the summit has faced criticism for years due to the outsized influence that fossil fuel lobbyists have had on negotiations, this year takes it a bit further. The host country, the United Arab Emirates, is a petrostate—meaning that its economy is heavily dependent on the extraction of oil and gas. The president of COP28, Sultan al-Jaber, is the CEO of the country's state-run oil business, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc). "The selection of the UAE as host was controversial when it happened, it's been controversial in the run-up to COP, and it's controversial now," Cramer said. The clear conflict of interest at the center of this year's COP has led many climate advocates to approach the summit with cynicism. Some say it should be completely rethought, and others have pointed out that of the 24 brand sponsors, just one has set a net zero emissions target using the UN-backed methodology. Should Brands Be Allowed at the World’s Biggest Climate Talks? Compared with last year, which saw around 20 brand sponsors of the summit, this year's list of sponsors primarily includes banks, energy companies and government entities—many from the UAE itself. Siemens, IBM and global consultancy EY are listed as "pathway partners," according to the COP28 website. The organizers did not immediately respond to Adweek's questions regarding the different tiers of sponsorship. Still, with roughly 70,000 people in attendance, there's potential for agreements on how high-emitting countries should support poorer countries as they face disproportionate climate-related impacts and disasters, and for companies to collaborate on energy transition plans. "While we recognize the significance of Dubai’s entrenchment in the fossil fuel industry, we also know that this is the sad reality of today’s world," Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet, told Adweek via email. "To change the reality of our future, we are going to need everyone to be a part of the conversation—not just those already doing good." Opportunity amid the skepticism Taking a humble approach to brand participation at COP28, sustainability intelligence platform HowGood is bringing carbon labeling to the summit's venue. The platform partnered with Majid Al Futtaim, an Emirati holding company that operates French grocer Carrefour in the UAE, and SES-imagotag, a company that makes digital, Wi-Fi-controlled price tags for retailers, to bring a carbon-conscious convenience store to Expo City, where the formal negotiations will be held. "The interesting thing about this project is, because it's at the retail level, it touches every brand that would sell in retail," Ethan Soloviev, chief innovation officer at HowGood, told Adweek. "Ultimately, it sends a message out to all brands—and to all of their ingredients, suppliers and all of the farmers—that people care about, are looking at and are making decisions based on their climate impact, their biodiversity impact, their water impact." Soloviev also highlighted the unique potential that the food industry represents when it comes to climate. "Unlike transportation, unlike building, unlike most of the other parts that make up global emissions, food is the only one that can truly be net positive," Soloviev said. "Food and agriculture can actually catch carbon in the soil and push back against climate change." While that's not true of most food and agriculture practices currently, it represents the scale of impact that brands can make as they discuss how to reduce emissions and work toward a livable climate over the next 12 days.

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Household Brands Opt for Lower Profile at This Year's UN Climate Summit

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Kathryn Lundstrom

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Kathryn Lundstrom