PUBLICIS CALLED OUT IN CARNIVAL OF COLLAPSE

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PUBLICIS CALLED OUT IN CARNIVAL OF COLLAPSE: ACTIVISTS DEMAND END TO FOSSIL FUEL CONTRACTS

NEW YORK, NY — Today, Extinction Rebellion activists staged a protest outside the New York City headquarters of Publicis Groupe S.A., the advertising firm with the world’s largest revenue, to call out its continued work with fossil fuel companies. The action began with street theater, followed by a blockade of the front entrance, where activists chained themselves to the building’s doors. Ten activists were arrested in total, including two youth activists, both minors. On the same day, Extinction Rebellion London occupied the headquarters of WPP—another major advertising firm with fossil fuel clients. The protest coincided with a record-breaking heatwave in New York City, with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees—an urgent, real-time consequence of the very crisis Publicis is helping to fuel.

Despite branding itself as a climate-conscious firm—with such tools as an AI anti-greenwashing tool, memberships in Ad Green and Ad Net Zero, and support for nonprofit work—Publicis held 40 contracts with fossil fuel companies in 2023-2024, including for the design and execution of campaigns for Saudi Aramco and TotalEnergies—two of the planet’s most damaging climate offenders. Notably, Publicis’s climate policy makes no mention whatsoever of fossil fuels (oil, coal, and so-called natural gas), a glaring omission for a company that actively shapes public perception of those industries.

Activists called on Arthur Sadoun, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe; Andrew Bruce, CEO of Publicis Communications North America; and Susie Nam, CEO of Publicis Creative U.S., to cut ties with fossil fuel clients and align its business with climate science and its own stated values. According to a new white paper by Climate Creatives, fossil fuel contracts now pose growing reputational and financial risks to agencies, while renewable energy and electric vehicles offer rapidly expanding, future-proof opportunities. More than 1,400 agencies across 38 countries have already signed the Clean Creatives pledge, refusing contracts from fossil fuel companies. This demonstrates that such a transition is both possible and necessary. Publicis has the resources and influence to lead in this area; what’s missing is the will.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned public relations and advertising firms for their role in enabling climate destruction. He emphasized that these companies have been lead players in greenwashing the fossil fuel industry, crafting campaigns that mislead the public, delay climate action, and shield polluters from accountability.

Photos and videos are available here. Content is free to use with credit to Extinction Rebellion NYC

QUOTES

“Arthur Sadoun, Andrew Bruce, and Susie Nam have a choice,” said Scarlett Attina, a 17 year old activist who risked arrest during the action. “They are among the most powerful communicators on Earth—and with that power comes responsibility. They can’t just advertise their way out of climate collapse; they’re actively shaping–and ruining–the future for all of us. History is watching.”
“Publicis claims to care about climate breakdown, but their contracts with oil giants tell a different story. This isn’t just greenwashing—it’s green betrayal. Their clients are fueling the crisis, and Publicis is helping them sell it.” — Miles Grant, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion
“I’m here doing civil disobedience because Publicis helps fossil fuel companies lie to the world. I want a future where flowers bloom in season, kids can play without overheating, and fish swim in clean water. Publicis needs to stop spreading lies—and start telling the truth,” said Beatrice Beckler, a 15-year-old activist who risked arrest during the action.
“The reputational risk for Publicis isn’t hypothetical; it’s happening now. Top talent, progressive clients, and shareholders are watching—and they won’t stand for complicity in climate destruction. The future of Publicis’s brand depends on cutting fossil fuel ties immediately.” — Matthew Menzies, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion.
“Publicis talks about supporting gender equality and women’s rights, but they still work with fossil fuel companies that harm the most vulnerable communities. It worries me—UN Women says women are 14 times more likely than men to die in climate disasters because social and economic inequalities leave them less prepared and more exposed. This kind of disconnect undercuts the values Publicis claims to stand for,” said Devin Lilly, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion.

About Extinction Rebellion

Extinction Rebellion is an international movement that uses nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action on the climate and nature emergency.

Extinction Rebellion exists because the conventional approaches: voting, writing to politicians, lobbying, and signing petitions, have failed. Powerful political and economic interests prevent change, as does our outdated political system itself. Our strategy is therefore one of nonviolent, disruptive civil disobedience – in short, it is a strategy of rebellion.

Climate boiling is here and now. It’s happening all around us, and it hits historically vulnerable communities hardest of all.. Extinction Rebellion demands that all of us, especially major institutions and governments, tell the truth about the ongoing Sixth Mass Extinction. Extinction Rebellion believes that, when faced with the government’s criminal inaction, it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, through peaceful civil disobedience .

Internationally, Extinction Rebellion has been demanding that those with power act now to halt the worst outcomes of the climate catastrophe currently unfolding. Unlike other climate advocacy groups, Extinction Rebellion understands that we must go beyond politics and establish Citizens’ Assemblies. Citizens’ Assemblies are deliberative bodies that are, like juries, formed of randomly selected members of the public who hear expert testimony and develop recommendations on specific policy issues. Only through this method can we achieve the fair and just transition we need.

Leading by example, Extinction Rebellion is fighting for a more stable, sustainable world.

pressMun XRJune 25, 2025