Our thinking

B(e) careful who you work for

26 July, 2024

This week, B Corp is making waves as B Lab, the nonprofit behind the certification, revoked the B Corp status of four Havas agencies after investigating their parent company’s work with Shell as their global strategic media buying agency.

The decision came after more than 20 other B Corp-certified PR agencies argued that working for fossil fuel polluters clashed with B Lab’s values. “Creative agencies should not be working for the companies destroying the planet” said Duncan Meisel of Clean Creatives. B Lab UK reported it had found that Havas’ actions constituted a breach of the B Corp community’s values and Havas declined to take the remedial action necessary to retain its certification.

Now, B Lab is tightening its standards, requiring certified B Corps to assess the human rights and environmental impacts of their clients and projects.

This decision sheds new light on an interesting debate: where should agencies and service providers draw red lines in choosing who to work with? As a sustainability strategy consultancy (and B Corp!), we work with companies who want to make a positive impact, regardless of where they are starting, and what that means in practice is a live debate internally.  We believe that choosing who you work for is crucial (and we have some red lines), but equally important is the work you do for them and the intent behind it. For us, it isn’t about where they start, but where they intend to get to.

It is crucial that organizations and standards, such as B Corp, have real impact, and we are pleased to see B Corp standing firm in its principles. However, nuance is needed when distinguishing between agencies that are perpetuating negative practices and those that are working – even with laggards – to make things better. It is not simply a matter of drawing a clear line between companies you can work with and those you cannot, but rather ensuring the work you do aligns with your values.

By Meg Seckel