Britannia and Their Agency Replied. Spoiler: More Bullshit.

Step 1: Say you’re 'just starting.' Step 2: Ignore the fact that you’re 130 years old.

I see Britannia and Talented have responded to my suggestion that their Cannes-winning campaign might be a bit of a sham. That’s interesting. Here is their response, in full, as published on storyboard18.com:

“As an organization, we are at the nascent stage of our sustainability journey. Our intent with this campaign was to share with our consumers that we are taking deliberate, albeit small steps toward a more sustainable future. While we understand that we are far from being a benchmark in sustainability, our goal is to be transparent about our progress and inspire collective action.”

“The report evaluated in the mentioned post is the statutory document of Britannia - Annual Report. We would like to bring your attention to our Sustainability Report, published last year, which provides a detailed explanation for the observed increase in the numbers. This increase correlates with the expansion of our scale of operations and an extension of our reporting boundary. Over FY 23-24, we added three facilities to our reporting scope, including our plants in Barabanki, Tirunelveli, and our dairy plant in Ranjangaon which got completely commercialised.”

“Importantly, if we compare the resources used against FY22-23 operations alone, the data on water intensity, plastic and emissions remains consistent, reflecting our ongoing efforts to optimize resource efficiency. Any observed variations arise due to a shift in the production mix, which is a natural outcome of dynamic operations.”

“We remain committed to continuous improvement. Each year, as our operations scale, we strive to be more mindful of the resources we use and the impact we create. Sustainability is not a destination but a journey, and we are dedicated to making meaningful strides along the way.”

This is a classic piece of corporate deflection, designed to sound reasonable while avoiding the core of the criticism. Let me break it down.

1. “We’re Just Getting Started”

Britannia claims it’s at the “nascent stage” of a sustainability journey, taking “deliberate, albeit small steps.” They are reframing any criticism as premature. We’re just getting started, you guys. Be patient.

Let’s be clear: a multi-billion-dollar company founded in 1892 is not at a “nascent stage” of anything. They are a market leader and should be held to a market leader’s standards.

In its Cannes Lions submission, Britannia positioned itself as a “responsible corporate giant” with “sustainability at the core of its operations.” It also claimed to “invite future advertisers into its community” and “build a blueprint for better business.”

So which is it? A responsible giant with sustainability at the core of its operations, building a blueprint for others? Or a humble beginner who can’t be judged too harshly? You don’t get to be both.

2. “You Read the Wrong Document”

This one’s rich. They suggest I reviewed the wrong document, the Annual Report, and should have consulted their separate Sustainability Report from the previous year.

Where did I get the Annual Report? From their own “Nature Shapes Britannia” campaign website. It’s the file linked directly beneath the line: “Here’s how we give back to nature.”

That’s the document they held up as proof of their campaign claims. Now that the numbers contradict the narrative, they’re trying to claim it was all a big misunderstanding and I’ve missed some “detailed explanation for the observed increase in the numbers.”

So what’s the detailed explanation?

3. "We're Growing"

That’s it. The oldest trick in the corporate handbook: blame the spike in environmental impact on business expansion, then switch to discussing intensity metrics. Sure, emissions are up, plastic waste is up, water use is up, but per unit, they say, they ‘remain consistent’. As if expansion on a burning planet were a sacred capitalist right.

Your campaign slogan is literally “Nature Shapes Britannia.” Nature doesn’t care about your emissions per ton of processed cheese. It absorbs total tonnes of CO2, plastic, and wasted water.

We are in a rapidly worsening global environmental crisis, and Britannia tells us to be patient with their ‘nascent’ sustainability transformation while they are expanding their operations to deplete our shared natural resources for profit — all while lecturing consumers about switching off unused lights and ‘using water as if it were money’.

Just be honest. Say it with your chest: Profits Shape Britannia. Put it on a normal billboard next to your quarterly earnings. Stop wasting everyone’s time.