GroupM unveils coalition for media decarbonization
GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, has announced the creation of a client coalition that unites nearly 20 leading advertisers — collectively representing $10B in global advertising investment — with a shared commitment to accelerate the decarbonization of the world’s media supply chain.
GroupM’s establishment of the coalition follows the introduction of a proposed global framework for measuring ad-based carbon emissions in July 2022. Coalition members are committed to the establishment of a common approach to measuring ad-based carbon emissions and will work with GroupM and the industry more broadly to test and improve GroupM’s proposed measurement framework.
The coalition will also insist on accurate, standardized emissions reporting by platforms, publishers, and media suppliers. Collectively, the coalition will advance and incentivize efforts across the industry to reduce the total amount of carbon created by the placement and consumption of advertising.
Christian Juhl, Global CEO, GroupM: “We introduced our global framework in July with a goal of uniting the industry around a common set of measurement standards to accelerate our collective media decarbonization efforts. On this issue, we know we can achieve more, together, than we can with separate and disparate action. The coalition we’re announcing today sends a clear message that decarbonization and supply chain sustainability is a top priority for media decision makers and the brands and businesses they represent.”
Founding members of the coalition announced include GroupM, its agencies Mindshare, Wavemaker, EssenceMediacom and mSix&Partners and clients Audible, AXA, Bayer, Danone, Deutsche Telekom, L’Oréal, Mars, Paramount, Sony, TalkTalk, and Tesco.
Krystal Olivieri, Global Chief Innovation Officer, GroupM and Choreograph: “The passion our clients have for this initiative underscores the importance of this issue to the world’s leading advertisers and the momentum that is building across the industry for a united approach. By creating a coalition to focus on the decarbonization challenge, we will provide an important forum for collaboration across companies and channel our shared energy into new technologies and solutions that will make advertising one of the cleanest industries in the world.”
The Media Decarbonization Coalition is inspired by the success of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), which was co-founded by GroupM in June 2019 to set more consistent brand safety controls and guidelines across the industry.
Kieley Taylor, Global Head of Partnerships, GroupM: “The most important and immediate step we can take to address the climate crisis is to align on a single set of industry standards for carbon measurement. This step is crucial to create a common language across the advertising ecosystem so we can go beyond measurement debates to focus on reducing and eliminating ad-based carbon emissions with our partners. Fighting climate change is the challenge of our lifetimes, and we’re excited to show the world the impact we can make when we all work together.”
A steering committee made up of representatives from coalition companies and chaired by Olivieri will govern and set the agenda for the coalition’s activities. Committee representatives will participate in workstreams, share learnings from their companies’ sustainability activities, evaluate initiatives executed inside and outside the coalition, provide feedback on proposed vendor solutions, and pursue opportunities for collaborative innovation.
While the coalition is currently comprised of GroupM client companies, organizations that are not clients but who are committed to decarbonization may register their interest in joining by reaching out to mediadecarb@groupm.com. Coalition members benefit from opportunities to pioneer best practices and principles, peer-based learning, early insight into vendor and partner initiatives, and advancing their efforts to achieve their own Net Zero and decarbonization goals.
Lee Sears, EVP, Ad Sales, Digital & Events, Paramount: “As global media organizations with the unique ability to reach millions of people all around the world, it’s incumbent upon us all to use our position to secure a healthy and sustainable planet for future generations. At Paramount, we’re proud to unite behind GroupM’s Coalition for Media Decarbonization, which complements our own Peak Sustainability campaign, to accelerate our industry commitments and drive meaningful change.”
