14 Wednesday February 23 2022 | the times
News
The National Portrait Gallery has
become the latest institution to end its
relationship with BP amid concern
over the environmental impact of the
company’s activities.
BP has been the main sponsor of the
gallery’s annual portrait award since
1989, when it took over from the tobac-
co company John Player & Sons, but
the partnership has attracted criticism
in recent years. Sir Antony Gormley
and Sir Anish Kapoor are among the
artists who have called for the removal
of the oil company’s representatives
from the judging panel.
The Royal Shakespeare Company
and Tate have already ended their
sponsorship deals with BP following
pressure from employees, artists and
activist groups. They argue that arts
organisations should not partner with
companies who are “fuelling the cli-
mate crisis” and who are purportedly
keen to “greenwash” their reputation
through sponsorship schemes.
The prize was not held last year nor
this year while the gallery’s building in
London is closed for redevelopment.
BP said yesterday it was reviewing its
partnerships and initiatives “to ensure
activity is aligned to its new strategy”.
Louise Kingham, a senior vice-presi-
dent, said: “We are immensely proud of
our role in championing British arts
and culture for over 30 years, but the BP
of today is a very different company
Portrait gallery
cuts ties with BP
from when we first started our partner-
ship with the National Portrait Gallery.
As we transition to become net zero by
2050 and help the world get there too,
we must look at new ways to best use
our talent, experience and resources.”
Nicholas Cullinan, director of the
gallery, which is largely funded by the
state, said: “The gallery is hugely grate-
ful to BP for its long-term support of the
BP Portrait Award. Its funding... has
fostered creativity, encouraged portrait
painting for over 30 years.”
While several subsidised cultural
organisations including the Southbank
Centre and the National Theatre have
ended partnerships with BP, the British
Museum retains a close relationship.
The energy giant is the lead sponsor of
its Stonehenge exhibition.
BP paid £10 million over five years
from 2012 to four institutions: the Brit-
ish Museum, the National Portrait Gal-
lery, the Royal Opera House and Tate.
The British Museum and the Science
Museum, which has deals with Shell
and the coal-producing company Ada-
ni, have so far resisted increasing pres-
sure to end the lucrative relationships.
According to the protest group Cul-
ture Unstained, the British Museum
has been looking to extend the spon-
sorship agreement with BP beyond- It has claimed, after seeing docu-
ments released under the Freedom of
Information Act, that the museum’s
director, Hartwig Fischer, has met BP
executives to discuss options.
David Sanderson Arts Correspondent
Idyllic advert
for Innocent
was misleading
Ben Webster Environment EditorInnocent drinks has been found guilty
of misleading shoppers by suggesting in
a TV advert that buying its drinks in
plastic bottles would benefit the planet.
The Advertising Standards Author-
ity (ASA) banned the advert, which
used animation of people and animals
relaxing in an idyllic setting, picking up
litter and drinking Innocent drinks
made from an apple tree. It ended with
the message: “Innocent. Little drinks
with big dreams for a healthier planet.”
Innocent is owned by Coca-Cola,
which last year was ranked the top plas-
tic polluter for the fourth year in a row
by the charity Break Free From Plastic.
Upholding 26 complaints, the ASA
ruled that consumers could interpret
the advert to mean that buying Inno-
cent drinks helped the environment.
Innocent said that its intention had
been to highlight the need for collective
action. “We transparently share more
about the work that we do on sustain-
ability on our website.”
6 Plastic waste has more than doubled
globally since 2000 and almost a
quarter is dumped in uncontrolled
sites, burnt in open pits or leaks into the
environment, according to the Organi-
sation for Economic Co-operation and
Development. It found that annual
production of plastics doubled from
234 million tonnes in 2000 to 460 mil-
lion in 2019, driven by population
growth and higher nominal incomes.JOHN PHILLIPS/BFC/GETTY IMAGESThe future’s green KWK by Kay Kwok, the Hong Kong designer, was showing off
a characteristically avant-garde collection at London Fashion Week yesterday