Wieden+Kennedy tell us that it’s all our jobs to tackle climate change

According to a climate risk survey conducted earlier this year, climate risk will affect 68 of 77 major industry categories. That’s what Wieden+Kennedy is bringing to our attention with a new simple and bold poster campaign with B Lab. The campaign ran during Cop26 and is running across all B Lab social channels globally. Having become B Lab certified, the Amsterdam office of Wieden+Kennedy was able to run this campaign pro bono.

Out of home, the campaign is live at London Euston, Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley train stations – this was composed so that the posters could be seen by policymakers on their way to and from Cop26, as well as business leaders during their daily commute. WeTransfer (another B Corp) placed the campaign in Amsterdam and Rotterdam’s financial districts, and also in The Hague in order to reach Dutch policymakers. The agency claims that “It comes down to a simple risk-reward analysis: inaction is a liability and action is an asset. This is everyone's problem, and while world leaders have a responsibility to find solutions, it is equally important that companies step up and treat it as part of their job.”

The identify for the campaign features bold sans serif lettering atop plain white backgrounds, allowing the type to stand out and deliver the message with no added theatrics, also aiming to reflect the serious tone of the dialogue surrounding climate change. The letter in “y” in the word “your” is highlighted by coloured brackets, making doubled use of the word and honing in on the campaign’s message that tackling the crippling effects of climate change is a collective effort. Pointedly, the campaign also uses the word “business” frequently, a nod to the corporations they’re addressing, who currently have a stronghold over how the effects of climate change are felt. The campaign also hopes to emphasise the urgent need for governments to enact legislation that holds all businesses accountable to the planet and its people.

Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam’s managing director Blake Harrop argued that the company has been thinking carefully about what role it wants to play in the face of the climate crisis after it became a B Corp. “It is not enough to simply avoid greenwashing,” claims Harrop, “Neither is it enough to simply restate the outrage and concern that already exists. Instead, we’ve been focusing on raising awareness of the solutions that can help our planet. This process resulted in a campaign for the B Corp movement itself, and serves as a reminder to business leaders that climate action is part of our job.”

The campaign has been adapted from English to Portuguese, French, Spanish, and Italian, so that other B Corps around the world would have the means to spread the message, which hopes to unify it. The campaign also delivers a website which hopes to allow business leaders and policymakers to equip themselves with tools and resources to take tangible climate action.