B Lab has revoked B Corp certification of four Havas agencies – Havas London, Havas Lemz, Havas New York, and Havas Immerse – for the multinational advertising and public relations company’s association with Shell. This comes after Havas secured the multimillion-dollar Shell media account in September 2023.
Yannick Bollore, Havas CEO, had defended the company’s deal saying it can influence the oil and gas giant to become more sustainable. He said B Corp had agreed that Havas could partner with controversial industries as long as the company is helping make things better. However, B Lab said Havas’ association with Shell violated the company’s core values in the Declaration of Interdependence.
It highlighted that Havas’ structure and use of a common brand name across some of its agencies means they have to earn certification as per B Lab rules. Following this, B Labs is changing its current standards to include rigorous due diligence requirements for human rights and environmental impact. As such, B Corp-certified companies have to scrutinize human rights and environmental impact of their clients to take action to mitigate negative impacts.
B Lab said complaints about B Corps that work with controversial clients will have to undergo a case-by-case analysis. Havas, in an official statement, said it cooperated in good faith throughout B Lab’s investigation while also preserving the integrity of confidential client information. “Whilst the investigation recognizes that our certified agencies (Havas London, New York, Lemz, and Immerse) do not have a relationship with Shell, we accept the ruling and they will cease to be B Corp certified.”
Havas highlighted its Gold Medal by EcoVadis, which is the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, as the company’s commitment towards sustainability. “We are proud to support our clients in their transformation for the future and remain focused on progressing towards the highest levels of social and environmental performance, with more to come in the coming months and years.”
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