After securing Shell’s controversial media account last week, global agency Havas has now seen its B Corp status placed under significant scrutiny amid allegations that it no longer meets requirements.

Four Havas subsidiaries, London, New York, Lemz and Immerse, are currently B Corp certified – which means that they conform to exceptionally high environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards.

Havas’ decision to take on Shell’s £22m media buying account could have serious ramifications for the agency’s ESG ambitions. It had been in the process of getting the rest of its UK operations certified, although the feasibility of this may now be in doubt.

B Corp’s accreditation body B Lab is currently reviewing what the account win entails for Havas’ B Corp status as part of its formal complaints procedure. It did not disclose how many complaints it had received.

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“We are aware of the news that Havas (which has certified B Corp subsidiaries New York, London, Lemz, and Immerse) has apparently been appointed as the media buying agency for Shell. B Lab Global is currently reviewing the implications of this as part of B Lab’s Public Complaint Process,” a B Corp spokesperson told The Drum.

“We’re committed to following due process, and appreciate your patience as we follow the procedures we have in place.”

Whilst B Corp certified agencies are not expressly forbidden from working with fossil fuel clients, B Lab’s executive director Chris Turner did indicate earlier this year that if a firm has clients within the fossil fuel, defence, arms, gambling, hazardous materials, pornography, prison or tobacco industries – this would lead to an automatic review of their eligibility for certification.

Upping the stakes, Havas Red client the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative swiftly moved to terminate its relationship with the subsidiary in the wake of the Shell account win.