As marketers, advertisers and comms professionals, we’re in a powerful position. We can influence people’s behaviour through imagery, words and design. Together we can inspire and support people to make sustainable choices.
Sometimes we’re the ones responsible for putting up barriers in the first place – let’s tear them down (and then recycle them responsibly)!
How you can help
Our industry can have a big impact on people’s behaviour, as Dr Bill Wescott explained in Ad Net Zero’s annual report:
“While advertising itself only directly accounts for around 2% of the world’s emissions, advertising has an outsized impact on the other 98% – and is therefore responsible for enabling the shift in behaviour change the world so urgently needs.”
Promote sustainable lifestyles
- Normalise sustainable behaviours and lifestyles in comms. Show people walking, cycling, taking public transport, drinking from reusable coffee cups, taking short showers, keeping the heating low, turning the lights off as they leave a room, recycling, living in homes with heat pumps, solar panels and electric cars…
- Make it easy for people to make sustainable choices. For example, when offering delivery options for consumer goods online, list the slowest postal option first, with the fastest and carbon-hungriest delivery option last.
Build a culture of sustainability at work
- Make sustainability impact and KPIs part of every communication brief and project evaluation
- Set environmental objectives as part of appraisal and bonus schemes
- Ask your suppliers, partners, clients and agencies what they’re doing for the planet
- Share this guide.