Coldplay Responds to 'Greenwashing' Criticism Over Oil Company Partnership: 'We Are Doing Our Best'

David Becker/Getty Coldplay

Coldplay is under criticism after announcing their partnership with Finnish oil company Neste last week in effort to decrease touring emissions during their Music of the Spheres World Tour.

Following the news, Carlos Calvo Ambel, senior director for the Transport & Environment campaign group, called the British band "useful idiots" for "greenwashing" in reference to Neste's history with deforestation.

"Neste is cynically using Coldplay to greenwash its reputation. This is a company that is linked to the kind of deforestation that would appal Chris Martin and his fans," Ambel said. "It's not too late, they should drop their partnership with Neste now and focus on truly clean solutions instead."

He continued, "Coldplay's commitment to reduce its emissions is no doubt well-intentioned. But teaming up with a company linked to deforestation makes them useful idiots for greenwashing."

Kevin Mazur/AMA2015/WireImage Coldplay

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The band then issued a statement in response and said they're doing their "best."

"When we announced this tour, we said that we would try our best to make it as sustainable and low carbon-impact as possible, but that it would be a work in progress. That remains true. We don't claim to have got it all right yet," Coldplay said.

"Before we appointed Neste as supplier of these biofuel products, we received their guarantee that they do not use any virgin materials in their production – most especially not palm oil. It's still our understanding that they use renewable waste products only, like cooking oil and byproducts from wood pulp manufacture."

In October during an interview with BBC, the band announced plans to shrink their touring footprint.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Neste said the firm does "not accept any sustainability violations in our own operations."

"For our collaboration with Coldplay, conventional palm oil was not used as a raw material" she said, adding: "Neste plans to reduce the share of conventional palm oil to 0% of its global renewable raw material inputs by the end of 2023."

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The tour has also been criticized for collaborating with BMW, which is providing 40 rechargeable electric vehicle batteries to power the shows.

The band's statement said that they had approached other electric car manufacturers but "BMW were the ones that offered to help."

"We have no connection to or influence on their corporate policies," the release continued. "We just need their batteries so that we can power our shows with renewable energy."

"We are doing our best, and always genuinely welcome suggestions as to how to do it better," the band said.

Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour is currently on its North American leg, which will be followed by a string of European dates this summer before wrapping in South America in October.