L’Oréal, NatWest and PepsiCo sign up to WFA Planet Pledge

L’Oréal, NatWest and PepsiCo have agreed to join the WFA’s Planet Pledge, a global commitment to making their marketing teams a force for positive change both internally and with the consumers who buy their products and services.

The three new signatories join the ten launch companies Bayer, Danone, Diageo, Dole Packaged Foods, Mastercard, Ørsted, Reckitt, Telefónica, Tesco and Unilever to expand the climate change commitment being made by global CMOs.

The Pledge was launched at WFA’s Global Marketer Week in April and seeks to identify a clear role for marketing as a force for environmental change by encouraging CMOs to take action in four key areas:

1. Commit to being a champion for Race to Zero, a global campaign to rally leadership and support from business ahead of the UN Climate Change Summit COP 26, both internally within their organisations and to encouraging their marketing supply chain to do the same;
2. Scale the capability of marketing organisations to lead for climate action by providing tools and guidance for their marketers and agencies;
3. Harness the power of their marketing communications to drive more sustainable consumer behaviours;
4. Reinforce a trustworthy marketing environment, where sustainability claims can be easily substantiated so that consumers can trust the marketing messages they are presented with as they seek to align their own consumption with their values.

Progress on all these goals will be reported annually by the WFA. The WFA will also work with advertising standards bodies worldwide and other relevant stakeholders in order to deliver industry guidance that will preserve trust in the evolving language of environmental claims in a way that enables consumers to make sustainable choices with confidence.

The Pledge is designed to amplify existing efforts and direct WFA members and their value chain partners towards them. In addition, it introduces new actions that marketing leaders can initiate and champion, thereby playing a distinct role in support of the transition to net zero.

“I’m delighted that three new global brand leaders have signed up to the WFA Planet Pledge. I know from discussions with the CMOs what a major undertaking it is. It sends a powerful message of their commitment to playing their part in developing the solutions to the climate crisis. The momentum is accelerating, and we look forward to welcoming more brands to the Planet Pledge in the future,” said Stephan Loerke, WFA CEO.

“Tackling climate change is one of the most important issues facing our economy and as a bank we have a central role and responsibility to lead the way in supporting businesses on the transition to net zero.  As a principal partner for COP26 in Glasgow, we at NatWest Group are fully aware of the importance of acting now. What organisations do today will shape the lives of customers and communities tomorrow,” said NatWest Group CMO Margaret Jobling. “As marketeers, we are the voice of our brands and it is crucial that we communicate what we are doing, and what we are capable of, to not only inspire but to show what is achievable by everyone as we Race to Zero. Our commitment to the WFA Planet Pledge allows us to work alongside others who see the collective potential this pledge offers and lets us join those who want to play their part in building a greener and positive world for future generations.”

“At L’Oréal, our commitment is to ensure that our activities are respectful of the so-called ‘Planetary Boundaries’, meaning what the planet can withstand, as defined by environmental science. Alongside our own in-depth transformation process, we want to inspire consumers so they can take action with us. The more our consumers know, the better they can act,” said Asmita Dubey, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer of L’Oréal. 

“Consumers are increasingly demanding and expecting more from companies like PepsiCo and our global roster of iconic food and beverage brands like Lay’s, Pepsi, Doritos, Quaker and Aquafina. Authentically leveraging the scale and power of our brands to connect our accelerated sustainability journey with consumers and make positive impacts on our communities and planet is not only good for our business, but good for society. PepsiCo is proud to join the WFA and our peers to enact industry-wide change and action on the global Race to Zero,” said Jennifer Saenz, PepsiCo Global Chief Marketing Officer & President Global Foods.