The OXygen team were delighted to host a BCorp party with our network at Clean Creatives, a global campaign for PR and ad professionals who want a safe climate future. As members, we are part of a community of over 2200 strategists, creatives and industry leaders and over 1100 agencies who believe that fossil fuel clients represent a threat to our shared future.
We co-hosted the event with friends at The GOOD Agency, Shape History, Climbing Trees and Kibbo Kift Agency, as a fringe event to Louder Than Words, The BCorp Festival. As purpose-led creatives, we met to discuss the pressure campaign on BLab and Havas, resulting in the removal of their BCorp certification, and how this has affected the status quo. We also talked about the power of collective action and the importance of networks such as Clean Creatives in shaping the future of the design and communications industry. This was also touched on during keynote sessions of the festival; as other industries are seeking collaboration with organisations in their sectors to increase the potential for positive change.
Elsewhere in the festival, as the largest gathering of BCorps in the world, participants were invited to sessions covering topics ranging across integrating the nature agenda into businesses, multiplying local impact, building better boards and the future of the BCorp Impact Assessment. We were also inspired by stories of impact and collaboration from within the BCorp movement.
On Tuesday, we attended a panel discussion titled ‘Telling Your Sustainability Story with Influence and Integrity’ – hosted by The Guardian and featuring speakers from Avery & Brown and Patagonia. A key theme was the importance of clarity in brand messaging, mission and vision; as this is the foundation of positive impact. Russ Avery (Avery & Brown) noted that many organisations and businesses often miss the crucial first step of brand strategy because it can be laborious and expensive, but that, without it, impact messaging can often feel lost.
Another clear message from the panel was that of ‘embracing radical transparency’. We discussed that, with so much fear over greenwashing (leading to ‘greenhushing’), as communicators, we should be open about mistakes and shortcomings. Mary Portas also touched on this in her keynote session – suggesting that no one person or organisation is perfect, and that by acknowledging this, we can build greater trust. Interestingly, we also learned that only 20% of BCorps actually publish an impact report (an annual requirement by B Lab! Do contact us if you need advice in this area.)
Overall, the days were filled with learning and inspiration. We left the festival feeling tired (!) but also hopeful about the direction of change.
