How do you solve a problem as big as the climate crisis? By taking practical, actionable and collaborative steps to address it. It is this action-orientated approach which  underpins the launch today  of AdGreen’s bespoke carbon calculator for the advertising production industry.

The new tool is a collaborative endeavour and has been designed with support from practitioners from companies including Unilever, adam&eveDDB, Havas UK & Havas Studios, and Biscuit. It 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 to 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. AdGreen is backed by a consortium of companies that comprise adam&eveDDB, APR (Advertising Production Resources), Google, Havas UK & Havas Studios, MullenLowe, Publicis Groupe UK, Sky, WPP and Unilever. 

The drive to track, measure and reduce carbon emissions involved in ad production is a key element of Ad Net Zero, the UK advertising industry’s plan to reach net zero by the end  of 2030.

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 calculator 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. 

Sebastian Munden, Chair of Ad Net Zero and EVP and General manager, Unilever UK & Ireland, explained: “As an industry, we have to take responsibility for the carbon emissions involved in advertising production activities and take rapid steps to reduce them. The AdGreen carbon calculator is a brilliant tool for every ad professional involved in the process of producing ads – we will be embedding its use into production of Unilever ad productions going forward. I urge everyone to register for the tool, collect the levy and embed the use of a carbon calculator like this in their working practices.”

The tool 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.

Sophie Broadbent, AdGreen’s Project Manager added “This tool is really collaborative which makes it very exciting. It’s been designed and built alongside those who will be using it, to make sure it’s truly fit for purpose. Ad agencies, production companies and production service companies will be able to input data into the calculator, while brands, brand parents, agency holding companies and production consultancies will be able to review data to make decisions.” 

To find out more about the calculator join one of AdGreen’s free webinars taking place over the coming week – more details can be found here. 

The AdGreen carbon calculator will be showcased at the Ad Net Zero Global Summit which runs on November 3 and 4 – attendance is free and you can register to attend here.