- New legislation on greenwashing
- The environmental impact of advertising
- Making adverts more sustainable
Pressure from eco-minded consumers has led to companies emphasising their sustainability credentials to appeal to their target audience. The introduction of the European Union’s new legislation to prevent greenwashing highlights the growing pressure on businesses to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to their environmental and sustainability practices.
Now, terms such as “environmentally friendly”, “biodegradable” and “climate neutral” can no longer be used in advertising or on packaging without being evidenced. In the European Union, only sustainability labels based on official certification schemes or established by public authorities can be displayed.
With a renewed focus on advertising content, now is the time for companies to consider the environmental impact of the adverts themselves. As advertising is one way to reach a target audience, it will naturally continue to play an important role in any business’s marketing strategy. But how can this be done in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way?
Digital advertising is often seen as a more environmentally friendly approach to promotional activity by reducing the use of paper and plastic associated with traditional offline forms of advertising. However, according to CEPSA, one online advertising campaign generates 70 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions. While the environmental impact of digital marketing is difficult to quantify, it is estimated that 32 percent of an individual’s carbon footprint stems from the 6,000 to 10,000 brand messages they receive daily.
So, what approaches can a business adopt to bridge the gap between building brand awareness and reducing the emissions associated with its advertising efforts?
- Compress the creatives – a smaller file size uses less energy to display. Opting for image-led carousels rather than videos can also reduce the energy required to display an advert
- Choose colours wisely – using colours such as reds and yellows uses less energy compared to blues and purples. Devices with OLED screens save energy when using black, so the more black used in a design reduces the number of LED lights used to display the advert. This, in turn, reduces the energy required to display the advert. Likewise, blurring the background of an image or using a duotone can decrease emissions by reducing the amount of detail that needs to be shown
- Repurpose content – not only will this limit the carbon emissions associated with travelling for photography or filming, it will reduce the emissions created during the process of developing creative assets by removing the need to create new content. Mars has recently reused high-performing advert creatives in its Healthy Planet Productions campaign; one step towards achieving its goal of Net Zero Emissions by 2050
- Offset carbon emissions – offsetting isn’t a solution to climate change but investing in carbon offset projects can help neutralise the emissions associated with digital advertising, making it more sustainable in the long term
By making incremental changes to how adverts are developed and displayed, companies and organisations can continue to reach their target audiences while reducing the carbon emissions associated with digital advertising – one small step for a business, one giant leap for the planet.