"British Cycling came under fire this week after it inked a sponsorship deal with oil firm Shell. Conscious Ad Network co-founder Jake Dubbins says the move is yet another example of blatant sportswashing.
Sportswashing is by no means a new phenomenon. Much like greenwashing, it refers to unethical firms and regimes turning to the glitz, glamour and charisma of the sporting world to legitimize their practices. This genius strategy was kicked off by Hitler and Mussolini, who held the Olympics and World Cups in their respective countries to show that their fascist regimes really weren’t that bad.
This practice is still alive and well, as British Cycling made clear this week by announcing its new official partner: Shell. Their shared goal? A commitment to ‘accelerating our path to net zero.’
An admirable goal indeed. But as anyone familiar with what Shell does will know, it is not in the business of net zero – and has no intention of being. Last month, in a US congressional investigation, a series of slides dated from January 2020 were leaked from Shell’s head office, explicitly stating that Shell will not sacrifice profits for the climate. The slides also request that employees do not “imply, suggest or leave it open for possible misinterpretation that [net zero emissions] is a Shell goal or target.” Three months later, the oil firm changed its tune and committed to becoming net zero by 2050."
Jake Dubbins, CEO of Conscious Ad Network, writes an opinion piece for The Drum October 13, 2022.
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