Creative Production

AdGreen’s carbon calculator goes live

After months of work, AdGreen’s new tool allows production teams to collaboratively measure the carbon footprint of their production and take active steps to reduce it. Over 130 brands, advertising agencies and production companies pre-registered to use the tool, and it has been designed with support from practitioners from companies including Unilever, adam&eveDDB, Havas UK & Havas Studios, and Biscuit.

The new tool will ensure advertising agencies, production companies and production service companies are able to collaboratively measure the carbon impact of their projects and identify the highest carbon producing activities. 

The tool is free at the point of use, as the project is funded by the AdGreen levy – a 0.25% charge on production spend, paid by participating advertisers, and collected by their agencies before being passed to AdGreen each quarter.

The need to track, measure and reduce carbon emissions involved in ad production is an essential part of Ad Net Zero, the UK advertising industry’s plan to reach net zero by end 2030, which is advocating the use of tools like AdGreen’s.

Jo Coombes, Project Director at AdGreen, and recent Women of Influence, deems this calculator a “game changer for the industry”. She says, “The information generated by this tool will help companies make informed decisions in relation to internal reduction targets and become more carbon literate in the process. Not only that but draft footprints can be created at script stage which will allow creative teams to see if they have inadvertently baked emissions into their scripts. Similarly, it’ll mean that clients can see the carbon data on work they’re commissioning and make informed decisions at the procurement stage.”

How does it work? 

The calculator works by allowing users to enter information in 4 key areas that relate to a production. By inputting data related to activities such as travel and transport, energy and fuels, and materials and catering, users can build up a picture of the carbon impact of their production. The tool is designed so that everyone working on a project can help to add information into the tool, allowing greater oversight and understanding of where the biggest carbon impacts lie.

The AdGreen carbon calculator is the result of the AdGreen team’s experience in the industry, and of IP and expertise gathered over the past 10 years from AdGreen’s strategic partner, albert. Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been invested in time and resources during the past decade, which has resulted in the development of a bespoke tool for the advertising production industry. 

It was designed by Alchemy Digital and developed by BAFTA Media Technology Limited – the same duo who created the albert carbon calculator for the Film and TV Industry. Future developments planned include bid process functionality so that projects can be compared by not just budget and treatment, but environmental impact too. A reporting dashboard will also be added, allowing users to pull information required for company carbon reporting.

The calculator release follows on from the launch of the AdGreen Levy which was introduced in June 2021 as a way to help keep AdGreen’s tools, resources and training free at the point of use for all.  The Levy is a recommended 0.25% of the cost to produce an advertising asset – or just £2.50 per £1,000 of relevant spend. 

About AdGreen

AdGreen unites the advertising industry to eliminate the negative environmental impact of production, enabling the community to measure and understand waste and carbon impacts, and empowering them to act for zero waste / zero carbon. We are part of the Advertising Association, working in partnership with BAFTA and albert, and supported by leading industry players who share our vision. We have launched in the UK but with global ambition to enable the industry, wherever the activity is, to act for a sustainable future. 

About the Advertising Association

The Advertising Association promotes the role and rights of responsible advertising and its value to people, society, businesses and the economy. Responsible businesses understand that there is little point in an advertisement that people cannot trust. That’s why, over 50 years ago, the Advertising Association led UK advertising towards a system of independent self-regulation which has since been adopted around the world. There are nearly thirty UK trade associations representing advertising, media and marketing. Through the Advertising Association they come together with a single-voice when speaking to policy-makers and influencers.