All Ireland Marketing Awards ignore impact of greenwashing and consumption on the climate crisis

Marketing and advertising can’t be ignored in a climate crisis

Friends of the Earth has expressed concerns about the All Ireland Marketing Awards, whose awards ceremony will take place tomorrow, Thursday 23rd May[1], and the broader role of marketing and advertising in exacerbating the climate crisis. The environmental organisation highlighted that the marketing and advertising industries are failing to address greenwashing in their sector and driving excessive consumption which leads to significant environmental and climate impacts. 

David Rossiter, Fossil-Free Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:

"Marketing and advertising are powerful forces that encourage people to buy and consume products they would otherwise not have considered. This culture of overconsumption is unsustainable and directly contributes to the climate crisis. We must rethink these industries' role in our society and hold them accountable for their environmental impact."

David Rossiter also drew attention to the problematic nomination of companies and industry bodies with mixed sustainability credentials such as Bord Gáis, The National Dairy Council, and Toyota, for awards. "The awards risk becoming a tool for greenwashing by allowing companies to portray themselves as environmentally responsible with no focus on the climate crisis and consumption risks". 

Friends of the Earth's Head of Policy Jerry MacEvilly said:

"Friends of the Earth is calling on the government to support legislation to combat fossil fuel greenwashing and sponsorship effectively. Government should engage constructively with opposition parties that have introduced legislation to regulate fossil fuel companies' advertising practices [2].”

“These types of bills are needed in our fight against the climate crisis. They will help protect the public from misleading marketing tactics and ensure that companies cannot continue to use greenwashing as a shield for environmentally destructive practices.”

ENDS

 

Notes

1. See All-Ireland Marketing Awards here https://mii.ie/all-ireland-marketing-awards/ 
2. See Senator Lynn Boylan's Fossil Fuel Products (Control of Advertising and Sponsorship) Bill 2024 https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2024/16/ and Deputy Paul Murphy TD's Prohibition of Fossil Fuel Advertising Bill 2024  https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2024/14/