Dear UNICEF Ireland, STOP the Greenwashing
‘Sponsorship [by companies such as Texaco] buys “social licence” to continue polluting activities. We are the society that is granting this licence and it’s up to us to withdraw it. Kudos to all the brilliant artists and winners over the decades.
None of this takes from the beauty of their achievements. But it’s up to us as citizens, parents, teachers, editors and journalists to find a better way to reward the talent of our youngest artists and local sports teams.’
Catherine Cleary – Irish Times
‘Wettest game’ in Irish sporting history.
Global heating, and its impacts, threaten upheaval in the world of sport. While many sports organisations are pushing ahead with sustainability strategies and pledges to cut emissions, there remains a big, branded elephant in the room: sport is increasingly being used as an advertising billboard for polluting businesses pushing goods and services that disproportionately responsible for driving climate change.
Wherever you look, sport is used as an advertising billboard for polluting businesses that promote goods and services with disproportionate climate and environmental impacts. Whether it is fossil fuel companies, car manufacturers, or airlines, polluting advertising is ubiquitous at every level of sport – from sponsorship deals with individual athletes, to elite-level international tournaments. Amid a climate crisis, where concern amongst athletes, fans, and the wider public over climate breakdown is at an all time high, these advertisements, sponsorship deals, and commercial partnerships look increasingly bizarre.
Before you apply for Texaco funding consider this…
Ireland is a wealthy country.
We are ranked as the fifth richest country in the world in 2023 with a GDP per-capita of over $100,000.00
On the other hand Ecuador only has a ‘projected’ GDP per capita of $10,850 for 2022. https://tradingeconomics.com/ecuador/gdp-per-capita-ppp
So, we need to ask ourselves why does a company like Texaco want to give our sports clubs money? They did’nt ask the communities or sports clubs in Ecuador’s Amazon basin if they wanted sponsorship. Would it not have made more sense if they did considering the vast amounts of oil Texaco took out of Ecuador and the mess they left behind?
They did’nt write to sports clubs in Ecuador and ask them if they needed money to upgrade their meagre sports facilities. No. Instead, Texaco tell us that they want to share their apparent generosity with the wealty people of Ireland. They want us to think they are a good community corporation with our best interest at heart. The opposite is actually closer to the truth. Irresponsible businesses, including fossil fuel companies like Texaco, are driving catastrophic climate change as well as the destruction of climate-critical tropical forests, and the communities and biodiversity that rely on them.
We are inviting you to make contact with your local school/national arts/sports organisation to boycott any Texaco funded iniatives.
Special thanks to Peadar King KMF Productions for permission to use this video extract
Photo: In 2021 Just Forests wrote to all 26 sports clubs across Ireland who received funds from Texaco Support for Sport 2021 to inform them of Texaco’s appauling human rights record and requested them to return the money in solidarity with the communities in Ecuador Texaco have impacted.
(Here is a sample letter you might find helpful.)
Dear…..,
We wish to draw your attention to what we perceive to be a clear and cynical arts washing /sports washing advertising campaign undertaking by Texaco, owned by fossil fuel giant Chevron. Specifically these include the /Texaco Children’s Art Competition and the Texaco Support for Sports.
Chevron-Texaco is responsible for human rights and environmental abuses against indigenous communities in Nigeria, Ecuador and elsewhere. Fossil fuel companies such as Chevron-Texaco are one of the major contributors to climate change worldwide. Most recently, Antonio Gueterras the Secretary General of the United Nations has described such companies as having “humanity by the throat”.
Through their Texaco Support for Sport programme, and their support for the Children’s Art competition, Texaco endeavour to use Irish sport and art organisations to greenwash their companies appauling human rights record. We have no doubt that if members of (please insert names of arts/sports organisation) were fully aware of the background to Texaco’s abuses, they would not wish to be associated with what is clearly a cynical ploy of greenwashing.
We respectfully request that the management (please insert names of arts/sports organisation) refuse to engage with Texaco sport washing/art washing agenda.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
__________
[Your name]
Before you write – please consider this…
Ireland is a wealthy country. We are ranked as the sixth richest country in the world in 2022 with a GDP per-capita of $85,267. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/richest-countries-in-the-world
On the other hand Ecuador only has a ‘projected’ GDP per capita of $10,850 for 2022. https://tradingeconomics.com/ecuador/gdp-per-capita-ppp
So, we need to ask ourselves why does a company like Texaco want to give our sports clubs money? They did’nt ask the communities or sports clubs in Ecuador’s Amazon basin if they wanted sponsorship. Would it not have made more sense if they did considering the vast amounts of oil Texaco took out of Ecuador and the mess they left behind?
They did’nt write to sports clubs in Ecuador and ask them if they needed money to upgrade their meagre sports facilities. No. Instead, Texaco tell us that they want to share their apparent generosity with the wealty people of Ireland. They want us to think they are a good community corporation with our best interest at heart. The opposite is actually closer to the truth. Irresponsible businesses, including fossil fuel companies like Texaco, are driving catastrophic climate change as well as the destruction of climate-critical tropical forests, and the communities and biodiversity that rely on them.
I have a special message for fossil fuel producers and their enablers scrambling to expand production and raking in monster profits:
If you cannot set a credible course for net-zero, with 2025 and 2030 targets covering all your operations, you should not be in business.
Your core product is our core problem.
We need a renewables revolution, not a self-destructive fossil fuel resurgence.
You can read the full statement by Mr. Guterres at this link: UN Press Office
After you have sent your letter you can also support this Campaign
Ask Norma Foley – Minister for Education to keep fossil fuel companies out of schools by signing here:
