our achievements over the years

Change we’ve created

  • In December 2024, our landmark greenwashing complaint against some of TotalEnergies’ many greenwashing claims was upheld by SA’s Advertising Regulatory Board after Total had appealed its initial verdict.

  • By 2024, our Clean Creatives South Africa campaign had helped 57 advertising and PR agencies pledge, over the past two years, to cease or refuse any work from the fossil fuel industry.

  • In 2022, the University of Cape Town became the first major university in Africa and the global South to pledge divestment, following our nine-year campaign with students.

  • We advised on and supported the creation in 2021 of South Africa’s only fossil-free equity fund, the BCI Select ESG Equity Fund, which excludes Sasol and all thermal coal, and has outperformed its benchmark for over three years.

  • Our lobbying, with the endorsement of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, successfully pushed the University of Cape Town to become the first African university with a responsible investment committee in 2018.

  • In 2017, the City of Cape Town pledged to stop investment in fossil fuels following our campaigning together with 350 Africa.

Change we’re creating

  • We’re lobbying many stakeholders in South African society to support the principle of a fossil fuel advertising ban.

  • We’re continuing our work with students at UCT and Stellenbosch universities to expose the deep-rooted influence of the fossil fuel industry on SA academia. 

  • Our Clean Creatives SA F-list reports identify and stigmatise the advertising and public relations professionals who work to greenwash the fossil fuel industry. 

  • Our 2024 workshops on the Middle East conflict and the genocide in Gaza illuminated the links between climate change, colonialism, apartheid, militarism, fossil fuels and threats to fundamental human rights.

  • We held successful workshops on divestment for asset managers in 2017 and, in partnership with the UN-supported Principle for Responsible Investment, for retirement funds in 2019.

  • We were one of the lead organisers on the September 2019 Financing the Future Conference, the first global divestment conference in the Global South.

  • Our Planet A Investment Guide is the only guide to fossil-free, green and socially responsible investment for South Africans.

  • Our Climate Reporting Guides for South African and African journalists promote more informed and thoughtful reporting on the climate crisis.

  • We’ve built up a substantial body of expertise and connections on the climate, finance and responsible investment nexus in South Africa.

  • We’ve developed a strong track record of getting challenges to the fossil fuel industry into the media.