[ad_1]
From wildfires raging in Canada to devastating flooding in large portions of the Northeast, the severity of natural disasters isn’t just inching up year over year; they’re shattering records at a rapid clip.
New legislation is emerging in response, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposing rules around mandatory emissions reporting for companies and California legislatures passed an act that would require companies with over one billion dollars in annual revenue to report their emissions. Here is what this kind of legislation means for those of us in Ad Land.
A closer look at emissions and how they vary
Carbon emissions from a company are broken down into scopes. Scope 1 is the direct output of pollutants by a company—think vehicle exhaust. Scope 2 is the pollution made by the energy a company buys like electricity to power the office. Scope 3 is all the other pollution linked to a company’s activities, but not directly created by them, like emissions from vendors. Both the SEC and California Legislature are targeting all three scopes of emissions.
Adland isn’t exempt from the legislation that’s coming down the pike, nor should we be. Studies from the U.K. found that the industry produces the same annual emissions as 47 coal-fired power plants, yet half (51%) of digital advertising businesses aren’t measuring their carbon emissions. This translates to an extra 28% of the annual carbon footprint for each person in the U.K.
What this means in advertising terms
Fortunately, initiatives like Ad Net Zero are forging paths to decarbonize the sector, starting with emissions reporting. And, this week, the 4A’s announced a partnership with London-based climate success platform 51toCarbonZero (51-0) to help our member agencies establish their carbon footprint.
Wondering what type of activities would go into your agency’s emission report? Here are a few examples:
Travel (Scope 1)
The globetrotting that makes our jobs so exciting is also a primary contributor to our huge emissions bill—whether it’s traveling to shoots, client meetings or industry events.
Productions (Scope 2)
