Celebrities are key to the success of most luxury brands. According to marketing services company WPP, the number of advertisements featuring celebrities has doubled in the past 10 years. For example, LVMH-owned Christian Dior cosmetics are endorsed by actresses Monica Bellucci (Italy), Charleze Theron (South Africa), Choi Ji Woo (South Korea), and Ziyi Zhang (China). Zhang promotes another of LVMH’s brands, TAG Heuer watches, as do Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Uma Thurman.

WWF recognises that celebrities influence consumers, and can therefore influence companies. The challenge is to discourage corporate behaviour that contributes to the problems celebrities are campaigning on, and encourage corporate contributions to the solutions not simply through donations, but through sustainable business practices. To help celebrities endorse only “clean” brands, we provide a “Star Charter”, which calls on celebrities to:

• recognise their potential to influence consumer behaviour;
• to encourage both consumers and companies to be aware of the social and environmental aspects of their activities;
• to consider the social and environmental performance of companies before endorsing them;
• to obtain independent expert advice on that performance before endorsing companies;
• to address any public concerns over the social and environmental performance of the brands that they currently endorse; and
• to tell professional colleagues about their commitment to the Star Charter.

Star Charter
Under this Charter, brand endorsers undertake:

1. To recognise their potential to influence consumer behaviour.
2. To encourage both consumers and companies to be aware of the social and environmental aspects of their activities.
3. To consider the social and environmental performance of companies before endorsing them.
4. To obtain independent expert advice on that performance before endorsing companies.
5. To address any public concerns over the social and environmental performance of the brands that they currently endorse.
6. To tell professional colleagues about their commitment to the Star Charter.