Out-of-home (OOH) advertising companies are playing a key role in promoting the importance of environmental action. In addition to posting educational ad messages, they are exploring innovative ways to reduce the environmental impact of OOH advertising.
OAAA Members Donate Ad Space to EARTHDAY.ORG
The Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA) reports that its members donated ad space throughout April to a campaign to support EARTHDAY.ORG. The theme of the 2021 Earth Day is “Restore our Earth” and examines natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems.
The digital OOH campaign is running coast to coast on multiple screens including bulletins, posters, bus shelters, Times Square signage and more.
“We’re proud to support the Restore Our Earth campaign in the weeks leading up to Earth Day 2021,” said OAAA President and CEO Anna Berger. “The out-of-home platform is prime for fostering awarnress across the world about the challenges our climate faces and the natural solutions and emerging green technologies that create opportunities for global impact.”
EARTHDAY.ORG’s mission is to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, EARTHDAY.ORG works with more than 150,000 partners in nearly 192 countries. More than one billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
Rapport Beyond Billboards Offset Carbon Emissions
The Rapport OOH media buying and planning agency arm of IPG Mediabrands now offers U.S. clients billboards and related out-of-home advertising products that offset carbon emissions and purity the air. A special coating of Titanium Dioxide is applied the printed materials to reduce NOx gases such as carbon emissions and industrial pollutants while the ad is posted. The coating uses sunlight to attract greenhouse gases, smog, and more and acts like a microscopic sponge to soak up carbon.
As the harmful gases turn into harmless nitrates, the air is purified. The new offering is called “Rapport Beyond”
“A single Rapport Beyond billboard has the capacity to offset 12 cards averaging 10,000 miles a year, the equivalent of planting 88 trees,” said IPG Mediabrands Global CEO Daryl Lee.
“We have a responsibility to drive innovation in OOH in ways that deliver new value to our clients,” said Chris Olsen, president US, Rapport. “Our goal is to print 2.5 million square feet of material with the air purifying coating in 2021. Rapport Beyond ads can help cleanse the air simply by existing in a physical space, something the world needs now more than ever.
For more information: https://rapportww.com/beyond
UK Ad Association Leads AdNet Zero Program
In the UK, The Advertising Association (AA), in partnership with the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) and ISBA (Incorporated Society of British Advertisers), has launched Ad Net Zero, an industry-wide initiative to help UK advertising respond to the climate crisis caused by CO2 emissions. Ad Net Zero’s mission is for immediate, collective industry action to help achieve real net zero carbon emissions from the development, production and media placement of advertising by the end of 2030.
In conjunction with the Ad Net Zero launch in November 2020, the AA has published a report by its Climate Action Working Group with Credos, UK advertising’s think tank.
The organization spelled out a five-point action plan:
- Advertising Businesses’ Operations: All companies commit to curtail their carbon emissions, principally by reducing travel, fossil energy use and waste.
- Advertising Production: Advertisers, agencies and production companies commit to measuring and reducing their impacts with support from AdGreen.
- Media Choice: Media agencies commit to the IPA Media Futures Group Climate Charter, working with their clients to develop lower carbon media plans.
- Awards and Events: Organizers build sustainability criteria into awards, and plan events to minimise their carbon footprints, especially from travel.
- Using Advertising’s Positive Influence: Agencies and clients harness the power of their advertising to promote more sustainable consumer choices and behaviours.
The report recognizes that individuals and companies throughout the advertising sector are concerned about climate change. Some 71% of people working across the industry are worried about the negative impacts of the industry on the environment. More want their agencies to take climate action.
“People across our sector want advertising to be part of the solution to the climate crisis, through the role it can play in influencing corporate policy and consumer behaviour and helping people make more sustainable choices in what they buy, use and do,” said James Best, Chair, Climate Action Working Group and Credos. He said research showed that knowing their organization is taking climate action would improve the job satisfaction for nine out of ten advertising professionals.
For more information: Climate Change – Advertising Association (adassoc.org.uk)