When was the last time a multinational corporation admitted, “We’re the ones who messed up the climate”?
Never, of course.
Instead, we got oil companies running ads with meadows, “recyclable” bottles that rarely get recycled, and slogans about “sustainable growth” that’s supposedly going to save us all.
The truth? Industry is still speeding ahead — they’ve just painted everything green.
The dirty trail of profit
The fossil fuel industry, petrochemicals, fast fashion, deforestation, intensive livestock farming — all of these sectors are still operating like the planet isn’t on life support.
Some wake-up numbers:
- Just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global CO₂ emissions since 1988. (CDP, 2017)
- BP, Shell, Exxon, and Chevron continue investing billions into new oil fields, despite all their climate pledges.
- The fashion industry produces 100 billion items of clothing every year — most of which end up in landfills.
Even the “eco-friendly” collections can’t wash away the environmental damage this industry causes.
This isn’t accidental. It’s the business model.
Green PR, black footprint
We’ve entered the age of greenwashing — when companies spend more on advertising their sustainability than actually being sustainable.
And it’s not just that — now we also have climate washing, where products are labeled “climate neutral” with so many asterisks and fine print that not even legal teams know what it means.
Examples?
- An oil company advertising solar power, while still putting over 90% of its budget into fossil fuels.
- A supermarket promoting biodegradable bags, while flying in strawberries from Peru — in February.
That’s not responsibility. That’s camouflage.
Who’s really paying the price?
Corporations profit, while the costs are passed onto society: taxpayers, future generations, Indigenous communities, and ecosystems that are disappearing.
Deforestation in the Amazon brings profits to a few, but raises emissions for the entire planet. Who gets the headache? Not the shareholders.
And while global corporations talk about sustainability, people in Slavonski Brod have been breathing polluted air from a nearby refinery and industrial sites for years — with a silent price tag: rising cases of cancer and chronic respiratory diseases.
Climate injustice isn’t far away — it’s right here, all around us.
Are there any good examples?
Of course. Not all companies are the same. Some:
- switch to renewable energy without laying off thousands of workers,
- report transparently on their carbon footprint,
- focus on reducing, not just “offsetting.”
But these are still the exception, not the rule. And they often get swallowed up by bigger players the moment they become too ethical — because ethics don’t rank high on the stock exchange.
What can we do?
- Laws, not requests – Corporations won’t act sustainably out of goodwill, but when forced to by law, taxes, or penalties.
- Public accountability – Demand real reports, not shiny ads.
- Support real solutions – Buy local, ethical, and sustainable whenever possible.
- Expose greenwashing – Calling it out is a powerful tool.
Final thoughts
Industry won’t change on its own.
As long as the biggest polluters are posing with children on avocado farms and handing out lavender seedlings while drilling new oil platforms — we know exactly what’s going on.
Climate justice requires real accountability, not PR campaigns.
If the industry refuses to pay its debt to the planet, we will — through floods, displacement, droughts, and disease.
And that, friends, is not sustainable.
As an ambassador for the European Climate Pact, I would like to point out that the views expressed in this article are solely my personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission or the European Climate Pact. – Zoran Pavletić
#EUClimatePact #ClimateJustice #JustTransition #ActOnClimate #FairFuture
