Posted by John Donovan: 18 July 2024
In a classic case of corporate hypocrisy, four Havas agencies—Havas London, Havas Lemz, Havas New York, and Havas Immerse—have been stripped of their B Corp status. Why? Because their sister agency, Havas Media, inked a deal with none other than Shell, the poster child for environmental destruction.
Havas Media snagged Shell’s media business last September after a three-month review and began handling B2C strategic media buying from GroupM in January. Shell, ever the environmental saint, spent about $240 million on measured media in 2022, according to COMvergence.
B Lab, the global nonprofit that hands out B Corp certifications to companies that supposedly balance profit with a commitment to people and the planet, decided this partnership was a bit too toxic. After a months-long investigation prompted by Clean Creatives and a coalition of 26 B Corp-certified firms, B Lab found Havas’ actions violated their core values. Surprise, surprise.
“Havas’ actions constitute a breach of the B Corp community’s core values,” said a B Lab spokesperson via email. “[Havas has] resolved not to adopt the remediation actions required to maintain certification.” In other words, Havas thought it could have its greenwashing cake and eat it too.
Climate activists are celebrating this as a win. Duncan Meisel, executive director of Clean Creatives, said, “The best outcome would have been Havas respecting the hard work they’ve put in to become a B Corp, and dropping their work with fossil fuel polluters. In the absence of that, B Lab’s decision is the correct one, and they deserve thanks for upholding their standards so decisively.”
Meanwhile, Havas is sticking to its guns, claiming that its agencies don’t directly handle Shell’s dirty business and maintaining that their commitment to sustainability is unwavering. They even pointed to their recent EcoVadis Gold Medal certification and their decarbonization plan validated by the Science-Based Targets Initiative.
So, while Havas tries to polish its tarnished image, B Lab has set a precedent: you can’t flaunt a B Corp badge while playing footsie with the world’s biggest polluters. It’s a step forward in holding companies accountable, but let’s not break out the champagne just yet.
