In this episode we step behind the veil of secrecy that hides the ad industry from accountability. As the climate crisis worsens daily, why do we continue to see ads for climate-damaging products everywhere? The answer lies in the long, cosy relationship between the ad industry and polluting industries like fossil fuels, cars and plastics. A new action from Adfree Cities and the New Weather Institute aims to bring accountability to ad land for their role in promoting pollution. We hear from Adfree's Veronica Wignall about this involves, and from Clean Creatives' Tolmeia Gregory on why the ad industry is resistant to change, and whether a bit of good old-fashioned reputation damage might bring about the changes we need.

Show notes

• Thanks to Tolmeia Gregory for joining us on this episode: https://www.tolmeiagregory.com/
• Find out more about our landmark case against WPP here: https://www.badverts.org/wpp
• Find Clean Creatives here: https://cleancreatives.org/
• And their annual F-List awards: https://cleancreatives.org/f-list
• Read more about B-Corps here: https://bcorporation.uk/
• Tolly mentioned this DeSmog investigation into ad agency greenwash: https://www.desmog.com/2025/02/10/ad-firms-make-oil-companies-look-green-heres-six-ways-they-greenwash-themselves/
• Adfree Cities got these Shell ads banned in 2024: https://adfreecities.org.uk/2023/06/shell-adverts-banned-for-greenwashing/

Find out more about Adfree Cities at https:www.adfreecities.org.uk and on Bluesky and Instagram @adfreecities.

Credits:

Produced, edited and presented by James Ward.

Title music by mishima.

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