Fossil fuel companies shouldn’t be able to buy community support and social license by sponsoring our events or institutions. Communities anywhere can run campaigns to “desponsor” an event or institution like a sports club, museum, arts festival, education program or university building!

WHAT IS A DESPONSOR CAMPAIGN?

Choose a local cultural institution, festival, sports team, or community group that has a sponsorship with a member of the MCA or APPEA and run a campaign to get the institution to publicly drop the sponsorship. 

Fossil fuel companies regularly contribute to all sorts of things in the community that help them to build their social license, the general support or acceptance by the community. For example, Woodside, one of the largest fossil fuel companies in the country, support a range of cultural events including the Perth Fringe festival. This social license is essential to their ability to be able to influence government through their appearance as  a ‘good corporate citizen’.

As the industry causing climate change fossil fuel companies have no place in our communities. It’s like if a local football team had a sponsorship from a cigarette company. 

This guide will give you everything you need to find a target, reach out to their membership or supporters about why this relationship doesn’t align with their values, and get them to publicly drop the sponsorship.

We are encouraging people to target Santos and Woodside Petroleum as two of the largest oil and gas companies in Australia and key members of APPEA, the peak lobby group for the oil and gas industry in Australia.