LinkedIn has rejected an anti-greenwash campaign directing criticism at Shell for being “offensive to good taste”.
The video – which depicts a smiling woman who finds herself with oil spilling out of her mouth uncontrollably, as she makes an influencer style video about her travel plans – was banned by the social media site according to Glimpse founder James Turner.
With the protagonist unable to finish her sentences properly due to oil spilling out of her mouth and ending with the slogan “save the planet, unfollow a greenwasher”, the video parodies the use of influencers by fossil fuel companies for greenwashing purposes.
Subscribe to Sustainability Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest sustainability news sent straight to your inbox each morning
Created by Anomaly London’s Lara Baxter and Alice Goodrich, the aim of the video was to convince young creatives on platforms like TikTok and YouTube to drop fossil fuel clients.
Speaking to Campaign, Baxter and Goodrich said they were interested in Glimpse’s brief of “highlighting how influencers are being paid by ‘big oil’ companies to help greenwash them.”
They added that they wanted to create an attention grabbing film that would “lean into classic influencer tropes”.
The ban by LinkedIn comes as influencer videos, particularly in relation to fast fashion brands have come under fire for exaggerating the greenwashing credentials of businesses.
TikToker Sophia Verde recently went viral after she posted a video lambasting fast fashion brands, including H&M and SHEIN, calling them out for “’sustainable’ fashion collections that are actually just greenwashing”.
As well as the use of influencers, fossil fuel companies like BP and Shell have increasingly come under fire for their use of events to boost their social credentials.
After a raft of names pulled out, they were dropped by the LGBT awards, and organisations like the British Museum and Church of England have also removed their links with BP and Shell.
