It’s a well-known fact that brands need to take ownership throughout the entire value chain as they strive to achieve their ambitious sustainability goals. But the advertising industry has yet to offer the right tools to measure its own carbon footprint. If sustainability is the message, are there measures that are more sustainable than others? And how do you as an advertiser even begin to measure it? Simply put, what is sustainable advertising?

“All of us working in marketing know that our job is supposed to lead to sales, sales that in turn lead to consumption, which results in emissions, according to current business models,” says Karin Grohman. She’s the project leader for the Comm to Act Planet initiative, which was started by the four industry organisations: IAB, Sveriges Annonsörer, Sveriges Mediebyråer and KOMM.

This statement was proclaimed during the launch event with the above-mentioned industry bodies, and it points to the heart of the matter – the elephant in the room if you like. We live at a time when companies across industries must face the fact that a ­solid sustainability plan is no longer simply a desirable asset to have. It’s an essential one. While brands are battling with green concepts and how to converse around them, new hurdles loom on the horizon, hurdles that are hard to digest for even the most seasoned of advertising specialists.

What puzzles virtuous marketers and CEOs who’ve “gone green” is the question of responsibility and what role to play in a value chain that para­doxically boosts business and hurts the environment. The climate message has long since frequented most media plans drawn up by any respectable brand. But until now, it has mostly been about the message, not so much about the footprints tailing award-­winning advertising and savvy sustainability campaigns.

“We who work in marketing need to put ourselves in the driver’s seat, take greater responsibility and be more involved in sustainability work. We are experts in driving change, and communication is an important and effective tool to contribute to a sustainable consumption culture, as well as changed norms and behaviours,” says Hanna Riberdahl, CEO at Sveriges Annonsörer.

Industry professionals pay attention

According to the Advertised Emissions study, by Purpose Disruptors, there was a 28% per capita increase in emissions in England within one year due to ­increased consumption as a ­result of advertising. Figures like these point to the fact that communication is indeed an effective tool to drive behaviour. Even if the behaviour is increased consumption and is harmful to the environment.

Industry professionals have ­started to pay attention – the launch of the Comm to Act Planet initiative in May 2023 may be one of the most evident signs of that in the Nordic market. The initiative pushes for collective responsibility to futureproof advertising.

There are several different ­climate initiatives underway from both ­media agencies and media outlets, where calculators have been developed to be able to determine the climate ­footprint of media. The purpose is to facilitate media planning and ­media buying, which is positive, says Hanna Riberdahl, but she also points to the risk of having different methods and different currencies for how we calculate.

“It will be incredibly difficult to ­compare and get a fair picture in the end. Therefore, we must agree on a common standard. We are incredibly happy that our parent organisations, the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), AdNetZero and AdGreen, have taken on the responsibility to ­develop this global standard, and we are ­involved in this work on a local level.”

Fear of greenwashing

The fear of being called out for greenwashing is high among Nordic advertisers, according to the Comm to Act Planet team, something that results in so-called “green hushing.” This is a phenomenon often associated with greenwashing but rather it describes a culture of silence, in which brands avoid communicating their climate ­initiatives altogether.

When the ­advertising industry made its first contributions to fighting climate change, it was all about the message. Copywriters and content creators were not ­only successful in motivating the general population about brands’ efforts to limit their emissions, they also had marketers and media shielded from any scrutiny related to measuring their own carbon footprint. Until now.

“The most important thing for everyone in our value chain is knowledge. We must increase knowledge in all areas about how our work affects the environment and climate. This applies to everything – from our own impact to ensuring that every day we make decisions that result in lower CO2 emissions. We must also ensure that the messages are not misleading and that we communicate our climate work to a greater extent,” says Hanna Riberdahl.