Rugby World Cup Bosses Call In The Lawyers In A Bid To Stop Greenpeace’s Fossil Fuel Ad Attack

Rugby World Cup Bosses Call In The Lawyers In A Bid To Stop Greenpeace’s Fossil Fuel Ad Attack

The Rugby World Cup kicks off in France in eights days time and already things are turning prickly for tournament organisers Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL).

As reported on B&T last week, the environmental group Greenpeace is livid that one of the event’s major sponsors is French petroleum firm TotalEnergies.

So incensed, in fact, that Greenpeace unveiled a campaign lashing rugby bosses and sports organisers in general for taking sponsor dollars from fossil fuel companies.

The highly sensationalised, animated spot is called “TotalPollution: A Dirty Game” and  shows torrents of oil spilling out of TotalEnergies logos dotted around the Stade de France, where France’s Les Bleus are set to play New Zealand’s All Blacks in the tournament’s opener next week.

According to Greenpeace, the global fossil fuel industry extracts enough oil to fill a stadium like the Stade De France every three-and-a-half hours.

Watch the offending ad below:

Understandably, the ad has got up the noses of rugby chiefs who’ve now called in their legal team.

The RWCL has sent Greenpeace a cease and desist letter, accusing it of “unauthorised activities” and misusing its and TotalEnergies’ intellectual property including the Rugby World Cup France 2023 logo.

The letter, which has since been reported in media, read: “Staging the Tournament is a major undertaking which requires significant financial investment. The goodwill and prestige associated with the Tournament is directly attributable to the very substantial financial and other efforts and resources which RWCL has invested and is continuing to invest in the management, development and commercialisation of the Tournament.

“To ensure the success and viability of the Tournament, and the future growth and development of the sport of Rugby Union as a whole, RWCL is obliged to ensure that commercial rights associated with the Tournament are only used by commercial partners that have entered into an agreement entitling them to use such rights. RWCL is therefore concerned to protect its and its commercial partners’ goodwill and rights.”

The letter went on to say that if Greenpeace wanted to avoid a costly court battle it required them to “immediately cease and desist” from using the logos, and to immediately remove the ad from Youtube and any other platforms.

Not that Greenpeace was having any of it.

Greenpeace France spokesperson Edina Ifticene said: “The Rugby World Cup has sent Greenpeace International a legal letter to try to force it not to publish our video, but we won’t be silenced.

“Fossil fuel companies like TotalEnergies sponsor events like the Rugby World Cup to distract everyone from their climate destruction. The fossil-fuelled climate crisis has already started to negatively impact rugby itself – a typhoon disrupted the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, and major Pacific Island rugby nations are threatened by rising sea levels.

“Everyone is waking up to the fact that there is no place for fossil fuels, not in rugby, or anywhere else. We will not be stopped from calling out the truth and will release the video,” Ifticene said.

There has been no update on whether any legal action would be taken.

A spokesperson for the RWCL told news site NationalWorld: “Rugby World Cup 2023 is committed to a responsible tournament with society and the environment at its heart.

“Tournament delivery supports World Rugby’s Environmental Sustainability Plan 2030, centring on low-carbon mobility, such as trains, and the use of existing infrastructure for competition and training venues to reduce the event’s carbon footprint,” they added.

“We recognise the important debate around event sponsorship and openly engage with the rugby family, public and private sector stakeholders to further determine sustainable hosting models for our showcase rugby events, especially Rugby World Cup.”

A TotalEnergies spokesperson told NationalWorld it was “wrong to claim that TotalEnergies is greenwashing by sponsoring the Rugby World Cup 2023”.

“With the Rugby World Cup, TotalEnergies is sponsoring an international sporting event taking place in France, the company’s home country, where we have nearly 35,000 employees, hundreds of sites, millions of customers and a strong local presence.

“In particular, this event is an opportunity for the company to raise awareness of the multi-energy dimension of our activities and our ambition to be a major player in the energy transition, committed to carbon neutrality by 2050, together with society,” they said.

 

 

 

 

 

 




Please login with linkedin to comment

Greenpeace Rugby World Cup 2023

Latest News

New BrandStory Format From Bonzai Allows 3x More Ad Space on Mobile
  • Media

New BrandStory Format From Bonzai Allows 3x More Ad Space on Mobile

Creative technology platform Bonzai has announced the launch of BrandStory – a new premium mobile ad format. BrandStory offers triple the ad space and 2.8 times greater time in view than single scroll ad formats, addressing the surging demand from brands worldwide for more real estate to drive real results by seamlessly intertwining awareness, exploration […]

B&T’s Search For Australia’s Greatest Ad Heads To Channel 7
  • Advertising

B&T’s Search For Australia’s Greatest Ad Heads To Channel 7

B&T went through the looking glass this morning, with editor-in-chief David Hovenden (above) appearing on Channel 7’s The Morning Show to get the general public involved in our search for Australia’s Greatest Ad. Hovenden chatted with Kylie Gillies and stand-in host Matt Doran about what makes a great ad and showcasing some of our favourites […]

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Opinion: The Tall Planner’s Kate Smither On The DBA Dilemma
  • Opinion

Opinion: The Tall Planner’s Kate Smither On The DBA Dilemma

The science is not in question – smarter people than I, with far more data, have codified it. The logic is not up for grabs…it makes sense that creating mental shortcuts to your brand keeps you at the top of your mind. Lead image: Kate Smither – Owner, The Tall Planner I wouldn’t even take […]

Opinion

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
African woman using a cellphone in an office alone
  • Marketing

Ortto & Tall Bob Partner To Deliver Better SMS & MMS For Australian & NZ Businesses

Two Australian-born technology providers have joined forces to bring more power and choice to marketers in Australia and New Zealand with mobile messaging that is more local, cost-effective, and integrated. It’s a partnership that sees two Australian software companies come together to deliver a world-class mobile-first solution for marketers building data-driven, personalised, omnichannel campaigns. While […]

Slew Of New Hires At Snap Inc.
  • Media

Slew Of New Hires At Snap Inc.

Snap Inc. has announced a number of new recruits. B&T unaware if it positively impacted SEEK's share price.

Reddit Gets Playful Brand Refresh
  • Technology

Reddit Gets Playful Brand Refresh

This will be of interest to any Reddit fans, graphic designers or lovers of an orange so bright it burns the retinas.

Zitcha & Broadsign Partner To Drive Global In-Store Retail Media Market
  • Advertising

Zitcha & Broadsign Partner To Drive Global In-Store Retail Media Market

Zitcha and Broadsign have teamed up to integrate the Broadsign out-of-home (OOH) advertising platform with Zitcha’s retail media platform. The collaboration empowers retailers to maximise and monetise in-store digital display networks and enables advertising partners to easily view and book available in-store inventory and review campaign performance alongside the retailer’s other media channels. With the […]

Double Rainbouu & 7-Eleven Launch Exclusive Summer Fashion Label
  • Marketing

Double Rainbouu & 7-Eleven Launch Exclusive Summer Fashion Label

Today, 7-Eleven has announced a one-of-a-kind collaboration with the popular Sydney-based anti-resort wear label Double Rainbouu. Dropping tomorrow, December 1, just in time for summer, this limited-edition capsule will infuse the fashion brand’s rebellious spirit with a distinctly iconic 7-Eleven flavour. The unisex collection features five must-have styles comprising two signature Hawaiian shirts, a peaked cap, a bucket hat […]

realestate.com.au Extends Major Partnership With Sydney Swans
  • Marketing

realestate.com.au Extends Major Partnership With Sydney Swans

Australian property site realestate.com.au has announced the extension of its partnership with the Sydney Swans for two further seasons. Lead image: Tom Harley, Owen Wilson and Tom McCartin realestate.com.au has partnered with the Swans since 2016 and has called the back of the club’s iconic guernsey home since becoming a major partner in 2020. This […]

Avenue C Nabs Paula Lopes From KINESSO
  • Marketing

Avenue C Nabs Paula Lopes From KINESSO

Leading independent media agency, Avenue C, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Paula Lopes as Digital Director. Paula, a seasoned professional with over 17 years experience in the media industry, joins Avenue C from her role as Chief Operations Manager of KINESSO (merger of Reprise, Matterkind, and Kinesso specialities).

oOh!Media Fuses People & Performance At National Annual Revenue & Growth Conference
  • Advertising

oOh!Media Fuses People & Performance At National Annual Revenue & Growth Conference

oOh!media brought together more than 260 of its sales, operations, commercial, marketing, finance and leadership teams last week for its national annual revenue and growth conference. Held over two days at the picturesque Rydges Resort in Hunter Valley, the event ‘Fusing people and performance’ focussed on how to build a high-performance mindset and how it […]