Ad Net Zero USA seeks to drive industry climate action

Ad Net Zero USA, a program seeking “collective industry action to decarbonize ad operations” and promote sustainable habits, has launched with the backing of various leading trade bodies and marketers.

Five key goals

Five goals for Ad Net Zero USA are:

• Brands committing to reducing their emissions in clear, measurable ways.
• Clients, agencies and production companies using tools and training to track, manage and reduce the environmental impact of ad production.
• Media agencies, working with clients, achieving similar goals for media distribution.
• Event organisers incorporating sustainability credentials into their entry criteria and minimising the carbon footprint of industry gatherings.
• Using the power of advertising to encourage more sustainable consumer choices and habits.

Big-name backers

• Ad Net Zero USA is spearheaded by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) and Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), three leading industry groups.
• More than 50 other organisations have signed up to this program, which hopes to bring change to a market that is responsible for 40% of global adspend.
• That list includes consumer packaged goods manufacturers Reckitt and Unilever, and media owner Vox Media.
• Agency holding companies dentsu, Havas, Interpublic Group, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe and WPP are also on board.
• Further representation comes from tech giants Meta and Google, programmatic ad company PubMatic and trade body IAA, as well as WARC and Cannes Lions.

Further details

• Ad Net Zero was launched in the UK by the Advertising Association, in partnership with fellow trade bodies ISBA and the IPA, in late 2020.
• An initial commitment is to deliver training which is tailored to the US market and helps industry professionals understand the steps they can take in tackling climate change.
  
• Several US working groups, focused on tools and techniques for reducing carbon emissions, will be founded around the five priorities shaping the Ad Net Zero agenda.

The big idea

“The time is now to unify the advertising industry to solve one of the toughest challenges facing our industry and the world.” – John Osborn, director, Ad Net Zero USA.