PR agency Edelman has come under fierce criticism for hypocrisy, after it was revealed that it worked with the Koch network of financiers.
The backlash comes as the PR firm has released its Trust Barometer (which it does every year ahead of the World Economic Forum summit in Davos), which looked at the impact of climate change across the sector. The report stated that: “Of the 65% who say companies are not doing well at living up to their climate promises, the number one reason is because they are too focused on short-term profit”.
The revelation, which has alarmed climate activists, comes after the link was seen in a 990 tax disclosure.
The Koch network is a libertarian lobby group in the United States, with links to organisations that push for less climate mitigation, as well as less government intervention in areas like healthcare.
Climate-focused advertising sector campaign group Clean Creatives has launched a fact sheet about the Trust Barometer accusing the PR giant of “trustwashing”, arguing that it uses the work to make itself appear to support climate action while still working with clients that do otherwise.
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It highlights that Edelman’s clients have also included the Saudi government, Shell, Exxon and Total Energies.
“Edelman’s work with fossil fuel polluters significantly undermines the credibility of the Trust Barometer,” said Clean Creatives executive director Duncan Meisel.
“Edelman’s petrostate clients keep appearing high in their trust rankings, and when they do they provide good advice on issues like climate change, Edelman will do the opposite with their actual client work.
“If Edelman wants the Trust Barometer to continue being a tool used by business leaders around the world, they need to take big steps forward to provide transparency and address their relationships with polluters that increasingly inform how companies see it.”
In a statement to The Guardian newspaper, Edelman said the company’s contract with the Koch foundation ended one year ago.
