Working in the creative industry means that every project and client relationship carries weight. Whether we like it or not, the work of designers, agencies and communicators shapes narratives, influences trust and helps determine which industries are seen as acceptable. Who we work for is a choice that we make to avoid greenwashing and advancing the fossil fuel industry.
What's the F List and why should those in marketing care?
The F List, put together by Clean Creatives, is a public database that shows which advertising and PR agencies are working with fossil fuel clients, to bring transparency to an industry that has historically kept these relationships out of sight. It exists because client ~ agency relationships haven’t always been very visible.
For us at Winter Design, that kind of transparency feels necessary. As a certified B Corp, we’ve legally committed to considering the impact of our business on people and the planet and taking on fossil fuel clients would simply contradict that.
We signed the Clean Creatives pledge
We signed the Clean Creatives pledge in 2024, joining an alliance of ethical agencies and committing not to work with fossil fuel companies, trade associations or front groups connected to them. It wasn’t a dramatic moment and there was no big announcement. It was more a case of formalising something we’d already been talking about for a while – over a decade in fact.
What The F List actually shows
The F List is now in its fifth year, and it’s growing. Clean Creatives have said they’re finding more fossil fuel-linked contracts than ever before, across advertising, PR and media – and this list proves that transparency has consequences. In 2024, four Havas agencies lost their B Corp certification after Havas won Shell’s global media contract. It came at a time when B Corp was under scrutiny for allowing agencies with such detrimental connections into the certification, so this was a welcome moment for those of us committed to a positive future. Values, accreditations and climate strategies stop meaning so much if they sit alongside ‘business as usual’.
What counts as a fossil fuel client?
One thing Clean Creatives have been careful about is clarity, the pledge isn’t vague. It covers companies whose core business is extracting, processing, transporting or selling oil, gas or coal. It also includes utilities heavily dependent on fossil fuels, trade bodies representing those industries, and front groups set up to muddy the waters around funding or influence.
How can marketing teams help with sustainability goals?
When people talk about fossil fuel clients, it’s worth remembering just how effective marketing can be at shifting responsibility away from the companies that profit most from climate breakdown. We know, because it’s happened before. In 2019, BP ran a global campaign — ‘Keep Advancing’ and ‘Possibilities Everywhere’. The campaign pushed big ads about “cleaner” energy and positioning itself as part of the solution, while over 96% of its capital expenditure still went into oil and gas. Environmental lawyers at ClientEarth called it out as misleading, arguing it portrayed BP as a renewables company when the reality was overwhelmingly otherwise. Critics also point to campaigns like the long-running push around “personal carbon footprints” as a deliberate tactic to redirect blame onto individual choices — and away from the corporations whose products are the real drivers of emissions. This Guardian piece covers it well.
In February 2020, the pressure worked. BP pulled the campaign and committed to stopping corporate advertising as part of its ‘net zero by 2050’ announcement — with its CEO pledging to redirect advertising resources towards advocating for progressive climate policies instead.
It's impossible to ignore that marketing and advertising has an impact
ClientEarth are now calling for all advertising by fossil fuel companies to be banned, “unless it comes with a tobacco-style health warning about dangers to the planet and people.” And in Feb 2026, Amsterdam introduced a world-first advertising ban, putting an end to public advertisements for both meat and fossil fuel products across the city.
Drawing a line (and sticking to it)
The F List doesn’t tell anyone what to do, it just makes the relationships visible. Fossil fuel companies aren’t neutral clients, and the creative industry isn’t neutral either. Our work helps shape trust, credibility and public narratives, whether we intend it to or not.
Saying no to that work won’t solve the climate crisis, we’re realistic about that. But it is a small, tangible way to act in line with what we say we care about. For Winter Design, this is where we’ve chosen to stand. We’re not perfect, but we’re proud of what we believe in and hold ourselves accountable. If you’re also on this journey or can offer us advice or feedback, we’re always open to improvements. Get in touch and let’s get a coffee.
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