Investors of all stripes understand the importance of due diligence — assessing potential investments across a range of financial, operational, and governance factors to ensure alignment and minimize risk. For impact investors, this often includes evaluating a company’s carbon footprint, workforce quality, and accountability mechanisms.

But when it comes to creative partnerships — the designers, photographers, animators, and communications professionals who shape an organization’s identity and public narrative — many impact investors and purpose-driven businesses are less discerning.

In an age where reputation is currency and authenticity is core to impact, the creative ecosystem that represents a brand can either reinforce or undermine its mission. As the impact economy matures, every link in the value chain — including communications and marketing — must be assessed for alignment, transparency, and systemic integrity.

The moral risk of misaligned messaging

As someone who has participated in my share of competitive pitches, I’ve seen how decisions about which agency to work with often come down to affordability and experience. Yet in a world where storytelling drives trust and capital, it’s time to expand that decision matrix to include values alignment.

In September 2022, during the UN General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres directly addressed the advertising and public relations industry:

C4CSummit24; Image Courtesy of Creatives for Climate

“Fossil fuels are not only poisoning our planet — they’re toxic for your brand… I urge every country to ban advertising from fossil fuel companies.”

By 2024, he was even more pointed, condemning the “shameless greenwashing” of the fossil fuel industry and describing advertising and PR firms as the “Mad Men fueling the madness.”

The message is clear: communications are not neutral. They either accelerate the transition to a sustainable economy — or delay it. Fortunately, a growing number of creatives are choosing to use their talents for good, and new tools and coalitions are emerging to help impact investors and entrepreneurs find values-aligned creative partners.

Clean creatives

Founded in 2020, Clean Creatives is a global community of creatives, strategists, and agency leaders who view the fossil fuel industry as a threat to our shared future. Over 1,500 agencies and 3,700 creatives have now signed the Clean Creatives Pledge, committing not to work with fossil fuel companies or their front groups.

Impact investors and social entrepreneurs wield immense influence through the choices they make — not just in their portfolios, but in their partnerships.

Each year, Clean Creatives publishes the F-List, a public database documenting agency relationships with fossil fuel clients, making it easier for investors and businesses to screen current or future creative partners. The 2025 edition, released during Climate Week NYC, names some of the world’s largest firms — from Edelman and Ogilvy to Publicis and TBWA — among the 700+ advertising and PR agencies that reportedly earned revenue from representing fossil fuel interests.

The F-List; Image Coutesy of Clean CreativesThe FList; Image Courtesy of Clean Creatives

The list doesn’t imply these firms can’t do excellent creative work. But it does reveal potential conflicts of interest when agencies simultaneously promote fossil fuels and advise clients committed to climate action.

For instance, Edelman, which reportedly earns around 5% of its revenue from fossil fuel contracts, also manages communications for COP30 in Brazil — with the same executive overseeing its work for Shell in the region. As Clean Creatives Executive Director Duncan Meisel puts it:

“Agencies that work for fossil fuel companies present a conflict of interest for any company whose business is affected by climate change... The agencies marketing oil and gas are fundamentally not aligned with brands trying to manage the impact of extreme weather or other climate risks.”

Ethical agency alliance

The Ethical Agency Alliance, launched by Creatives for Climate in 2023, champions agencies ready to move beyond a simple “do no harm” approach toward defining what good looks like in the creative sector.

To join, each agency signs an MOU committing to three core actions:

1. Ban fossil fuel clients.
2. Adopt anti-greenwash and truth-in-advertising standards.
3. Implement the UN-backed “serviced emissions” framework.

In October 2025, the Alliance went further, taking a stand against “atrocity-washing” after documents revealed that two agencies — Stagwell and Havas — had been hired to conduct PR work aimed at sanitizing the image of governments accused of serious human rights abuses. A new fourth criterion was added:

“Refuse all contracts that involve manipulating public opinion to obscure or justify atrocities — including war crimes or crimes against humanity.”

In an era of rampant misinformation, this commitment to information integrity is critical. The Alliance’s matchmaking service now connects mission-driven brands with vetted, fossil-fuel-free agencies trained in anti-greenwashing practices and recognized for creative excellence.

B Lab and accountability in the creative sector

B Lab, the nonprofit behind the B Corp certification, continues to play a central role in defining what responsible business looks like. As B Lab updates its standards to “galvanize business action on the world’s most critical issues,” more creative agencies are pursuing certification — and facing scrutiny when their actions contradict stated values.

Image Courtesy of B Lab

In 2023, Havas won a global contract with Shell. Within a month, 22 B Corp agencies filed a complaint demanding the decertification of Havas subsidiaries, arguing that serving fossil fuel clients violates B Corp principles and calling for four Havas subsidiaries to lose their B Corp status since certification is “incompatible with providing advertising and PR services to fossil fuel polluters. In July 2024, B Lab agreed, declaring that Havas’ actions “constituted a breach of the B Corp community’s core values” and revoking its certification.

This decision sets a powerful precedent for accountability in the creative industry — and a clear warning for firms seeking to profit from both fossil fuels and sustainability branding.

C4CSummit24; Image Courtesy of Creatives for Climate

At the same time, B Lab’s Climate Finance Cohort is helping companies shift their finances to climate-friendly options, partnering with mission-driven institutions such as Beneficial State Bank and Premiums for the Planet. This kind of systemic alignment — from banks to branding — is essential if the impact economy is to be both credible and regenerative.

The case for creative integrity

Impact investors and social entrepreneurs wield immense influence through the choices they make — not just in their portfolios, but in their partnerships. Creative agencies and communicators are often the public face of an organization’s mission. Choosing those partners without considering their own ethical footprints risks undermining the very impact one seeks to achieve.

Image Courtesy of B Lab

Just as investors now screen for ESG performance and transparency, so too should they conduct creative due diligence — ensuring that storytelling, messaging, and marketing reflect the same principles of authenticity, accountability, and systemic change that define the Impact Economy itself.

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Personal disclaimer: 17 Communications is part of both the Clean Creatives and Creatives for Climate communities, though we are not currently a member of the Ethical Agency Alliance. 17 Communications was also certified as a B Corp in Oct. 2022 and is currently exploring options for re-certification.