For the world to avert climate disaster every industry must play its part. That includes advertising. Indeed given that advertising is the original ‘influencer’, it has more power than most to help.
It’s why the entire marketing and advertising community in Ireland has brought Ad Net Zero to Ireland. The founding partners include the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI), the representative body for commercial creativity and communications in Ireland; the Association of Advertisers in Ireland (AAI), which represents some of the biggest brands in Ireland and internationally; the Marketing Institute of Ireland (MII), the professional body for marketers in Ireland; Commercial Producers Ireland (CPI), which looks after the production of TV advertising; and IAB Ireland, the industry body for digital advertising.
Ad Net Zero Ireland is a climate action initiative that calls on the industry to use their influence to promote more sustainable consumer choices. The initiative is chaired by sustainability specialist and former brand executive Elizabeth Sheehan, working with the Ad Net Zero Council, made up of representatives from each of the trade bodies involved–IAPI, MII, AAI, CPI and IAB Ireland.
Ad Net Zero represents the first time all elements of the advertising and marketing industry have come together with a shared agenda – to help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
Harnessing energy from the sun in Ireland makes more than just environmental sense
When it comes to sustainability, smart companies will not take the foot off the pedal
Why recognition of prior learning works for business
Businesses need to transform their finance functions in order to compete and add strategic value
As an industry, advertising could be seen as the bad guy, exhorting people to consume more goods and buy more stuff. But that is to miss the power it has to change behaviours; a case in point being Covid-19 awareness advertising that contributed to a massive societal shift within weeks. The industry is in an influential position to encourage consumers to make sustainable choices and the industry has a desire to do just that and contribute meaningfully.
Five-point plan
Those committing to Ad Net Zero undertake a five-point action plan comprising practical steps to reduce carbon emissions.
As part of this they will measure carbon footprint data, reduce emissions as far as possible, and as a last resort offset those which cannot be reduced enough.
Where possible they will switch to renewable energy, minimise air travel and commit to zero waste and zero carbon productions.
Ad Net Zero will promote the work of AdGreen, a UK advertising production sustainability initiative that provides tools to support all aspects of the industry, including creative to production and post-production departments to help them make the transition to net zero. It also provides a carbon calculator tool specific to the industry.
Ad Net Zero members help curb emissions in media planning and buying, by enabling those in the sector to make choices with carbon emissions impact front of mind.
“COP27 has shown us that targets are being missed. All of the energy in Ad Net Zero is going towards driving down emissions as much as possible, with carbon offsetting being very much a last resort”
It will also focus on events and awards. The initiative challenges industry awards bodies to ensure that sustainability and climate impact inform judging. It also encourages event organisers to put sustainability at the forefront of planning and curtail long distance travel to events where possible.
“It is ambitious but we need to build a very clear set of actions and follow science-based targets if we are to get the advertising industry to net zero by 2030, and therefore contribute in a serious way towards the wider goal of bringing global emissions of all types to net zero by 2050.” says Sheehan.
“COP27 has shown us that targets are being missed. All of the energy in Ad Net Zero is going toward driving down emissions as much as possible, with carbon offsetting being very much a last resort,” she adds.
For businesses to get their own house in order makes the perfect starting point. “It’s about minimising waste, looking at where you source your energy from, and understanding that, if you measure it, you can manage it,” says Sheehan.
She is heartened by the cross sectoral support for the initiative. “This initiative was first launched in the UK and everyone from Google to Diageo and all the advertising and media agencies have signed up,” she says. “We are on our way towards such support in Ireland with 44 brands/agencies currently on board.”
This will help facilitate the first ever industry wide report on emissions, as well as the sharing of top tips on carbon reduction within the industry. “The urgency of what needs to be done, and the sheer scale of the task ahead, is such that we simply have to work together,” adds Sheehan.
#ChangeTheBrief
“Ad Net Zero is a signal that we want to make change,” says Abi Moran, CEO of advertising agency Folk Wunderman Thompson. In addition, Abi sits on the IAPI Board and leads the Sustainability Council for IAPI along with Fiona Field, MD, OMD.
“Ad Net Zero is a framework to provide tools and resources to help everyone equally. It’s about the whole community collaborating to achieve a shared objective”
“Of course, you could do all the component parts in the action plan without joining Ad Net Zero, but joining it creates a community, an understanding that we are all in it together, and that we are holding ourselves to account as an industry to drive change.”
There are also industry dividends. For a start, it means all those operating under Ad Net Zero are working off the same framework when it comes to measuring their carbon footprint. That will help in relation to requests for information from potential clients.
“It really helps that we are not all doing separate things in relation to carbon calculators. It compares like with like in what is a very complex area. Ad Net Zero is a framework to provide tools and resources to help everyone equally. It’s about the whole community collaborating to achieve a shared objective, to make sure we are all moving in the right direction,” says Moran.
Elizabeth Sheehan states, “As an industry we can help organisations to build sustainability into their brand purpose. The potential influence and impact we can have through advertising and communications is enormous. We are amazing story tellers. We are amazing strategists. It’s about how we can use our voice to spark change. It’s about how we can use our creativity to rally people to start doing the right things.”
It is also a golden opportunity for Ireland’s creative agencies.
“I know from my own experience managing brands that creative agencies are the thinking partner of advertisers,” says Sheehan. “Your agency is very much your external conscious on social issues, and on sustainability too.”
For more information, visit www.adnetzero.com/ad-net-zero-ireland/