Global Media Sustainability Tracker
Welcome to the Global Media Sustainability Tracker! From reducing carbon emissions and improving employee wellbeing, to protecting press freedom and accurately reporting on climate change, today’s media has a key role to play in the prosperity of tomorrow’s people, places, and planet(s).
Like the Global Media Tech Regulation Tracker before it, and the Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) Tracker to come, this live doc will sit on FIPP.com and be updated monthly, bringing you the latest media initiatives and innovations from around the sustainability – and what we know will ultimately be a sustainable – world.
We begin this week with 15 stories from 3 different perspectives…
- 5 historic global media sustainability pioneers
- 5 of the biggest announcements made in 2022… so far
- 5 of the most recent sustainability headlines from the sector
And of course, FIPP invites media owners around the world to share their latest updates with us. As a network, we are greater than the sum of our individual parts, and can be an impactful force in helping to influence change on a global level. Got a story to share? Simply get in contact with us today.
5 historic global media sustainability pioneers
National Geographic
In many ways, the National Geographic Society is the original embodiment of media sustainability. First founded in 1888, the organisation seeks to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge, and invests significantly in non-profit innovation across science, education, exploration, and it cites itself as ‘storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world.’
The company’s corporate social responsibility policy has longsince led the publisher charge on tackling climate change, and state’s that its “primary environmental focus is to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for which it is responsible’.
BBC
The BBC is committed to reaching Net Zero by 2030, by which point its emissions in direct operations will have been cut by 46%, and in its value chain by 28%. The organisation has within its ranks one of the most recognisable global faces in the fight against climate change, Sir David Attenborough, who is quoted on the BBC website as saying “We need to do this now, and over the next ten years.”
And that urgency too is reflective of the organisation’s overall approach to climate change. It says that these goals cannot be achieved solely by offsetting, and cites its primary objective instead as being ‘the hard work of deep decarbonisation’.
PPA
Sticking with UK-led initiatives, and the country’s Professional Publishers Association (PPA) is doing vital work in raising awareness in this area, and making it as easy as possible for publishers to make changes. The association’s site contains a wealth of information on the subject, including a carbon calculator, which enables members of all sizes to understand and track their carbon footprint.
Hearst
Hearst UK says that it is ‘working to lead the charge within the UK publishing sector and use our brand’s voices to mobilise and amplify positive change’. On its website, the company lays out in detail exactly how this is being achieved, having held ISO certification for climate management since 2015 – one of the key global benchmarks for environmental management systems (EMS).
The company has committed to achieving zero plastic packaging by 2022 (having already removed 70% of the plastic film from its magazines), and its ‘House of Hearst’ London HQ stands as a testament to how environmentally efficient, modern day offices can be run.
Future
Sustainability of course, is all about the Future, and in December 2021, the publisher officially launched its responsibility strategy. Through this, Future is targeting net zero GHG emissions from Scope 1 and 2 (those owned and controlled directly by a company) by 2026 and conducting a Scope 3 (wider consequences of the company’s operations, often linked to its supply chain) footprint in 2022. It has set a plastic free policy and targets to measure emissions from the digital value chain.
5 of the biggest announcements made in 2022… so far
July: GroupM introduces global framework for media decarbonization
GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, has outlined its approach to measuring and reducing ad-based carbon emissions. It says that the framework represents an innovative set of measurement methodologies designed to break down the media value chain and define the necessary data inputs to measure carbon emissions across all five stages of the advertising lifecycle for all formats, channels and markets in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s standards.
“Our clients want to prioritize media investment with publishers and platforms that are actively decarbonizing their media supply,” said Christian Juhl, GroupM’s Global CEO.
April 2022: Condé Nast commits to becoming carbon-neutral by 2030
In April, Condé announced the latest phase in its global sustainability strategy, as the company continues to integrate more sustainable practices throughout its business. The new set of commitments are aimed at reducing global environmental footprint to meet the goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2030, as well as leveraging the company’s voice to drive positive change through its portfolio of media brands.
“Condé Nast holds a unique and influential position in the media industry and we’re committed to doing business in ways that are socially and environmentally responsible,” said Alice Pilia, Senior Policy Advisor, Condé Nast.
June 2022: Digital drives double-digit growth at The Economist Group
Releasing its financial report for the year up to March 31st 2022, The Economist unveiled strong results, along with an unwavering commitment to sustainability goals. The Group says it is on track to achieve its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 25% by 2025, and has reaffirmed its commitment to achieve net zero by 2045.
The Group has now also made its first disclosure in line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), and is developing an environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy based on five key priorities – content, colleagues, communities, climate and environment, and governance.
March 2022: Axel Springer commits to ambitious new climate targets
Axel Springer has committed itself to a ‘net-zero path’ as defined by the Science Based Targets initiative (STBi) – a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to help companies set emission reduction targets in line with climate science and Paris Agreement goals.
By 2045, all of Axel Springer’s avoidable emissions will be reduced by 90%. The company has also pledged to reduce its absolute CO2 emissions by 3-4% annually over the next ten years, and become climate-neutral and offset all irreducible emissions starting in the fiscal year 2024.
March 2022: New YouGov & Deloitte study shows that consumers are embracing sustainability
A significant new study into consumer attitudes towards sustainability, carried out in the UK by YouGov and Deloitte, shows that consumers are becoming increasingly committed to tackling climate change:
‘There is a sharp increase in the number of people who have adopted a more sustainable lifestyle in the last 12 months,’ says the report. ‘Compared with 2021, consumers have significantly increased their focus on buying just what they need (+20 points), on reducing their meat consumption (+9 points) and on opting for low carbon emission modes of transport (+11 points).’
5 of the most recent sustainability headlines from the sector
- October 4th: Axel Springer has published its Sustainability Report for the fiscal year 2021. More than 1,300 employees including 40 senior managers are now involved in sustainability governance at the company, with more than 42,000 hours of sustainability training having been delivered throughout the company during the year. The publisher has identified eight key sustainability topics, which cover issues surrounding diversity and editorial integrity, in addition to climate change.
- September 5th: Campaign Asia has published an article asking, ‘How should the media industry approach decarbonisation?’ In it, June Cheung, Head of Japan and the Asia Pacific Region at Scope3, says that two primary steps will ensure that the industry reaches its goals: ‘The first is that brand and agencies can use their buying power to influence the behaviour of the media supply chain. Secondly, publishers and platforms can actively and thoughtfully optimise their ad-tech stack to minimise carbon emissions and be rewarded by advertisers seeking to reach their climate goals.’
- September 2nd: Bauer Media’s dedicated training provider Bauer Academy has today announced the launch of ‘Community Connector’, a new platform designed to help learners enrich their skills, connect with professionals, and thrive both personally and professionally. Amongst the different content pillars, which include a section dedicated to ‘Ethics & Our Environment’, the programme will examine media ethics, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, wellbeing, confidence, productivity, and resilience.
- August 26th: Marie Claire has announced that it is to be the official partner of this year’s Sustainability Show, which takes place in the UK in October. As the country’s first large-scale consumer sustainability event, The Sustainability Show will provide attendees on how they can take positive steps in their own lives to create lasting change when it comes to the planet. “Educating consumers about how to take realistic steps to live more sustainably and limit their impact on the planet is the heart of what we do at Marie Claire UK,” said Editor-in-Chief, Andrea Thompson.
- August 8th: Sustainability magazine has published a guide to the ‘Top 10 podcasts to help you understand sustainability’. The publication says that with ‘rising interest in global issues, like human rights activism and climate change action, more people are turning to podcasts as a quick and easy source of information’.
