The Scoop: Exxon, Shein face government scrutiny over environmental claims

Two huge corporations are facing questions about the truth behind their statements about recycling ad the environmental impact of their materials.

Petroleum giant ExxonMobil faces a lawsuit from the state of California claiming it knowingly misled the public for decades about plastics recycling. Communications is squarely in the crosshairs with the lawsuit, which CNN describes as “using slick marketing and misleading public statements for half a century to claim recycling was an effective way to deal with plastic pollution.”

The suit claims that Exxon knew that recycling would not address the vast majority of its plastic waste, yet continued to tout it as an effective solution, even as garbage piled up from the depths of the ocean to the tops of mountains. The lawsuit claims that today, Exxon continues to mislead the public about “chemical recycling,” a new technique for breaking down plastics. Exxon fired back at the suit: “(The state of California) failed to act, and now they seek to blame others. Instead of suing us, they could have worked with us to fix the problem and keep plastic out of landfills.”

Meanwhile, the Italian government is eyeing fast fashion icon Shein. Specifically, the government says that their website and social media accounts made misleading claims about sustainability, including about the recyclability of its clothes and the use of “green fibers.” The Italians also say that Shein has contradictory statements about greenhouse gas emissions in its latest sustainability report, says The Wall Street Journal. The startup company experienced explosive growth and a communications team put in place on the fly, which may have complicated its efforts at accurately describing its environmental work.

Why it matters: Often, the communications department is left cleaning up over other business function’s failures. The computers went down and stranded passengers. Bad customer service caused a social media crisis. The product just isn’t very good. But in this situation, various communications initiatives have landed these companies in hot water.

Dating back decades, the public and governments have cared deeply about protecting the environment. Companies, naturally, have wanted the good press of doing the right thing, cleaning up their act, being sustainable. But simply saying the words isn’t enough. Everything communicators release must be backed by real science, real action, real attempts to fix the problems our companies sometimes unwittingly solve.

This can put communicators in a difficult position. It’s hard to evaluate the science behind recycling, for instance. The communicators who crafted these messages may have been just as in the dark about the truth of the matter as the general public. But it proves the necessity of communicators having a seat at the table and the power – and bravery – to ask tough questions, to question the orders they’ve been given, and to ensure the company is communicating accurately and responsibly.

It’s a tall ask and one that requires true organizational change. But the alternative is a betrayed public and what is sure to be years of litigation that could ensnare may of the communicators behind these campaigns.

Editor’s Top Reads:

• ChatGPT has at last released its human-sounding voice AI assistants, though without the model that sounded uncannily like Scarlett Johansson. The advanced voice mode is available only to premium subscribers (which starts at $20 per month) and promises to offer an experience that feels akin to talking to a human. The robots can be interrupted, display emotions and alter their accent or speaking pace. ChatGPT’s long-awaited release comes as other AI models also get into the voice space: Google Gemini has begun to roll out a similar voice feature on Android devices, while Meta will offer up a celebrity voice option in the coming weeks. It’s a fascinating option that could revolutionize customer service, therapy and other aspects of modern life – but comes with some perils that communicators will need to help carefully manage, such as the emotional repercussions of talking to a robot that seems so very humanlike.
• Social media and search algorithms have seen massive changes in the last few years, in many cases diverting traffic away from news sites. Now, some of those outlets are turning to a new platform for reaching audiences: WhatsApp. The Meta-owned platform is especially popular outside the United States (or with immigrants within the country) and offers news platforms a Channel option, which allows opted-in recipients to receive a notification about content. Think of it as a social media version of the push alert. The New York Times reports that many outlets are using this feature successfully. It now drives more traffic for Telemundo than X, the network said. This feature is both worth watching as a way of better understanding the news ecosystem, and potentially developing to better communicate directly with your own audiences.
• YouTuber MKBHD (also known as Marques Brownlee) is facing pushback to a new app over its price and expansive data permissions. The Verge says that audiences have expressed frustration with the YouTube star’s Panels app, which offers phone wallpapers for $49.99 a year or $11.99 per month. If that cost for a picture to go on your smartphone makes your eyebrows raise, you’re not alone. But perhaps the bigger issue is the amount of data the app requests, including location and internet history. Users are becoming more savvy about data privacy, and the idea that this type of app requires your location doesn’t make much sense. Brownlee has already taken to X to issue a sort-of apology, claiming they went with the expansive data requests were “largely driven by what the ad networks suggest.” New product launches are always tricky and will bring up unforeseen issues. But data privacy and pricing are two that most organizations should be able to foresee. Add these to your lists of questions to ask – and prepare response statements for – if you’re ever involved in an app or software launch.

Allison Carter is editor-in-chief of PR Daily. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn.