DUBAI: Four major multinationals, including drinks companies Asahi Europe & International, Carlsberg Group and Pernod Ricard as well as IKEA, have joined 13 other major multinationals in the World Federation of Advertisers’ Planet Pledge, a global commitment to making marketing teams a force for positive change both internally and with the consumers who buy their products and services.
The four new companies join signatories Bayer, Danone, Diageo, Dole Packaged Foods, Mastercard, Orsted, Reckitt, Telefonica, Tesco and Unilever as well as L’Oreal, NatWest and PepsiCo. in using the power of marketing to drive action on climate change.
Alongside the multinationals, 22 national advertiser associations in various countries have committed to promoting the pledge to local advertisers, highlighting the role marketing can play in delivering change and creating a network of local champions around the world.
“I am delighted that these four companies and so many of our national association partners have signed up to the Planet Pledge,” said WFA CEO Stephan Loerke.
“In light of the recent UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report, which lays bare the challenge of climate change, it’s vital that our members commit to not only reducing their impact but also to educate consumers about how they can have an impact, too,” he added.
Planet Pledge was launched at WFA’s Global Marketer Week in April this year and seeks to find a clear role for marketing as a positive force for environmental change by encouraging chief marketing officers to take action in four key areas:
- Commit to being a champion, both internally within their organizations and by encouraging their marketing supply chain to do the same, for the global “Race to Zero” campaign, which encourages “businesses, cities, regions, and investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth,” according to the UN.
- Scale the capability of marketing organizations to lead for climate action by providing tools and guidance for their marketers and agencies.
- Harness the power of their marketing communications to drive more sustainable consumer behaviors.
- Reinforce a trustworthy marketing environment, where sustainability claims can be easily substantiated so that consumers can trust the marketing messages they are presented with.
The WFA will track and report progress on all these goals on an annual basis. It will also work with advertising standards bodies worldwide and other relevant stakeholders to deliver industry guidance that will preserve trust in the evolving language of environmental claims in a way that enables consumers to make sustainable choices.
The pledge is designed to amplify the association’s existing efforts and direct its members and their value chain partners toward them. In addition, it introduces new actions that marketing leaders can initiate and champion.
“Addressing climate change can seem complex, but marketing teams have the skills to make it easier for everyone to understand how they can make a real difference. Joining the WFA Planet Pledge is a serious statement of intent. We look forward to more brands signing up in the future and seeing how marketers can take the lead on addressing the world’s most pressing challenge,” added Loerke.
