The Science Museum in London signed a sponsorship contract containing a gagging clause with the Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor, agreeing to take care not to say anything that could damage the firm’s reputation, it can be revealed.
The agreement, a copy of which was obtained by the Guardian and the investigative journalism organisation Point Source, concerned sponsorship of the museum’s current Wonderlab exhibition.
It stated that the Science Museum and its trustees must take reasonable care to “not at any time” during the exhibition term “make any statement or issue any publicity or otherwise be involved in any conduct or matter that may reasonably be foreseen as discrediting or damaging the goodwill or reputation of the sponsor”.
The inclusion of the so-called non-disparagement clause has led to accusations of greenwashing from environmental groups.
Equinor was known as Statoil until it changed its name in 2018. This month it was accused of “profiteering” from the energy crisis and higher household bills after posting record annual earnings of £62bn.
During the fourth quarter of 2022 it produced the equivalent of 2,046m barrels of oil a day. It has oil and gas assets in the North Sea, Brazil, Algeria, Angola, Nigeria and Tanzania.
Equinor and the Science Museum declined to reveal how much the oil company paid to sponsor the Wonderlab exhibition.
Environmental groups claim the Science Museum has lost its ability to honestly discuss the true impact of the oil and gas sector on the environment because of gagging clauses it has signed with big businesses.
In 2021, two prominent scientists refused to allow their work to be included in the Science Museum’s collection after it was revealed that the institution had signed a similar contract with Shell.
Steve and Dee Allen, global plastic pollution researchers, say the museum’s deals with fossil fuel companies such as Shell and Equinor mean it is no longer a credible scientific institution.
Commenting on the latest revelations, Steve Allen said: “Scientists cannot support these gagging clauses. It’s simply not tenable, because our job is to report how the world really is, to the best of our knowledge. We have to tell the whole truth, not just what is acceptable to the oil and gas industry.
“Even if the Science Museum completely cut its ties to the oil and gas industry today, I think the damage done to the institution’s credibility is going to take a very long time to repair.”
Robin Wells, a spokesperson for the campaign group Fossil Free London, said: “The idea that it is still acceptable for public institutions like the Science Museum to accept undisclosed amounts of money from big oil and gas companies like Equinor is very disappointing.
“The corrupting influence of oil and gas companies on public discourse about climate change has been repeatedly demonstrated over past decades.”
Dr Chris Garrard, a co-director of the campaign group Culture Unstained, said: “These clauses are deeply troubling, particularly when it comes to deals with unethical companies like fossil fuel companies, because it undermines the independence and integrity of public institutions.”
While museums routinely state that large corporate sponsors do not exert any editorial influence over exhibitions, in 2015 the Guardian revealed that Shell had tried to influence the presentation of a climate change programme it was sponsoring at the Science Museum.
Internal documents showed that the oil company raised concerns that part of the programme created “an opportunity for NGOs to talk about some of the issues that concern them around Shell’s operations”.
A spokesperson for the Science Museum said: “At all times the Science Museum retains editorial control of the content within our exhibitions and galleries, and this is asserted clearly and unambiguously in all contracts we sign.”
On the use of gagging clauses, the spokesperson said the museum had decided “to no longer include them in new agreements”.
Equinor said: “The clause you are referring to is a standard clause included by the museum in the contract – it is not something we have asked to be included.”
It said that although its name remained attached to the Wonderlab exhibition on signage and on the Science Museum website, the term of the sponsorship agreement ended in March 2022.
Equinor supplies about a quarter of Britain’s gas, and it hopes to develop the Rosebank field to the west of Shetland, despite opposition from climate protesters. A final investment decision on the UK’s largest undeveloped oilfield is expected this year.
