Ad industry needs to cut carbon emissions from travel

There is a huge opportunity for carbon reduction in the process of ad production around the world, according to AdGreen, a UK body working towards a sustainable future for the industry. 

AdGreen’s first Annual Review, based on data collected from 515 assorted ad projects across 2022, gives a snapshot of the industry while also calling for data collection and analysis from a higher volume of campaigns.

Why it matters

Significant changes to ad operations are crucial for the industry to meet its net zero target, including fresh approaches to travel and transport, and renewable energy choices in production facilities and locations. 

Key stats

• 2,446 tCO2e (metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent) were emitted in 2022 from 515 completed projects (for comparison, the average annual carbon footprint of a person in the UK is 13 tonnes).
• Travel and transport accounted for most of the emissions as a result of all recorded activities (62.4%). Energy and fuels used to power spaces accounted for almost a quarter (24.6%), materials for 12.4%; the activity area with the least impact was disposal, at just 0.6%.
• For the four projects sitting at over 100 tCO2e, 74% of emissions came from travel and transport, with 49% from air travel alone. As these projects are indicative of the work being created by many large ad campaigns, the total impact of flights taken for production work across the industry will be significant. 
• For projects with shoot days recorded, the mean impact per shoot day was 2.2 tCO2e.

AdGreen says 

“It’s clear that engagement is needed from organisations working on larger scale productions so that we have a more even picture. As more of these larger projects are recorded in the tool, we expect the average project size to rise, along with the other related datapoints” – Jo Fenn, Global Director of AdGreen.

The carbon calculator 

AdGreen’s Carbon Calculator allows users to work out the carbon footprint of motion, stills and audio projects in advertising campaigns, and to assess the environmental impact of production activities. “The ability to calculate and predict the potential impact of production choices on emissions creates the opportunity for an active discussion right at the start of the process, rather than just reporting and mitigating at the end,” says Sebastian Munden, chair of Ad Net Zero.

Sourced from AdGreen