Sustainable advertising
Encyclopedia
Sustainable advertising addresses the carbon footprint
and other negative environmental and social impacts associated with the production and distribution of advertising materials. A growing number of companies are making a commitment to the reduction of their environmental impact associated with advertising production and distribution.
and adhesives used and the fossil fuels burned in the manufacturing and distribution of newspapers and magazines. Digital media has impacts due to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the manufacturing and operation of servers and datacenter devices, networking devices and client computers as well as the e-waste impacts of these devices at the end of their useful lives.
In 2004 over 7 billion metrics tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent greenhouse gases associated with print media advertising were emitted into the atmosphere by the United States.
In 2005 U.S. advertisers spent over $65 billion dollars on print media advertising and created over 250,000 ad pages. A single ad page run in a popular consumer magazine can represent as much as seven tons of carbon dioxide emissions when supply chain factors associated with papermaking, printing, logistics and landfill disposal or incineration of post-consumer and unsold media are taken into consideration.
According to a recent New York Times article quoting David J. Refkin, director of sustainable development for Time Inc., a single copy of Time
magazine results in the emission of .29 pounds of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gasses.
Although no definitive research has ever been conducted across Europe, facts from the US are nothing short of shocking. About 25 million sq.meters or about 10,000 tons of non-biodegradeable PVC IS directly attributed to outdoor billboards every single year. To put this into context this would cover the equivalent of 16 square miles or the centre of most major urban cities.
, Timberland
and Wal-Mart
are making substantial commitments to developing and marketing sustainable products and business practices. Victoria's Secret
has recently agreed to reduce the impact of its catalogues by using recycled papers and stopping using paper from endangered forests. Moxie Sozo
is the first graphic design
and advertising agency
to be carbon-neutral, zero waste
and powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
In 2006 jewelry company John Hardy
began a pilot bamboo reforestation project on Nusa Penida
, a small island off the coast of Bali
where the company's workshops are located. The primary object is to sequester carbon dioxide
by planting bamboo
, a long-lived, rapidly growing woody perennial grass. In order to offset the company's advertising footprint of 451 metric tons of CO2, an area equivalent to four football fields will be planted.
In September 2008 CURB launched what could be described as the world's first dedicated sustainable advertising company focusing on providing media made out of entirely natural and sustainable materials. Their work has been covered in publications across the world as the purest and most literal form of sustainable advertising which has minimal to zero impact on the environment. Since this time a number of other companies including Green Street Media have set up to provide sustainable advertising services.
Carbon footprint
A carbon footprint has historically been defined as "the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person.". However, calculating a carbon footprint which conforms to this definition is often impracticable due to the large amount of data required, which is...
and other negative environmental and social impacts associated with the production and distribution of advertising materials. A growing number of companies are making a commitment to the reduction of their environmental impact associated with advertising production and distribution.
Advertising's environmental impact
Print advertising impacts the environment due to the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere as a result of the production and distribution of print media. Factors include the sourcing and production of paper, petroleum-based ink, solvents, plastics- REDIRECT
and adhesives used and the fossil fuels burned in the manufacturing and distribution of newspapers and magazines. Digital media has impacts due to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the manufacturing and operation of servers and datacenter devices, networking devices and client computers as well as the e-waste impacts of these devices at the end of their useful lives.
In 2004 over 7 billion metrics tons of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
equivalent greenhouse gases associated with print media advertising were emitted into the atmosphere by the United States.
In 2005 U.S. advertisers spent over $65 billion dollars on print media advertising and created over 250,000 ad pages. A single ad page run in a popular consumer magazine can represent as much as seven tons of carbon dioxide emissions when supply chain factors associated with papermaking, printing, logistics and landfill disposal or incineration of post-consumer and unsold media are taken into consideration.
According to a recent New York Times article quoting David J. Refkin, director of sustainable development for Time Inc., a single copy of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine results in the emission of .29 pounds of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gasses.
Although no definitive research has ever been conducted across Europe, facts from the US are nothing short of shocking. About 25 million sq.meters or about 10,000 tons of non-biodegradeable PVC IS directly attributed to outdoor billboards every single year. To put this into context this would cover the equivalent of 16 square miles or the centre of most major urban cities.
Corporate involvement
Corporations such as General ElectricGeneral Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, Timberland
The Timberland Company
The Timberland Company is an American manufacturer and retailer of outdoors wear with a focus on footwear. Its three key locations are in Stratham, New Hampshire; Danville, Kentucky; and Ontario, California....
and Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
are making substantial commitments to developing and marketing sustainable products and business practices. Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
has recently agreed to reduce the impact of its catalogues by using recycled papers and stopping using paper from endangered forests. Moxie Sozo
Moxie Sozo
Moxie Sozo is a Boulder, Colorado-based design and advertising agency founded in 1999 by Leif Steiner. The 32-person firm is highly recognized for its green initiatives, including being the first known design and advertising agency to be carbon-neutral, zero waste and powered by 100 percent...
is the first graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
and advertising agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
to be carbon-neutral, zero waste
Zero waste
Zero waste is a philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. Any trash sent to landfills and incinerators is minimal. The process recommended is one similar to the way that resources are reused in nature...
and powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
In 2006 jewelry company John Hardy
John Hardy (jewelry)
John Hardy is a handmade jewelry and home accessories company. Founded by John Hardy in 1989, the company is headquartered in Hong Kong, has its production center in Bali and has a satellite office in New York...
began a pilot bamboo reforestation project on Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida
Nusa Penida is an island southeast of Bali island, Indonesia. Administratively, the island is a district of Klungkung regency. There are two small islands nearby: Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. The Badung Strait separates the island and Bali. The interior of Nusa Penida is hilly with a maximum...
, a small island off the coast of Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
where the company's workshops are located. The primary object is to sequester carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
by planting bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
, a long-lived, rapidly growing woody perennial grass. In order to offset the company's advertising footprint of 451 metric tons of CO2, an area equivalent to four football fields will be planted.
In September 2008 CURB launched what could be described as the world's first dedicated sustainable advertising company focusing on providing media made out of entirely natural and sustainable materials. Their work has been covered in publications across the world as the purest and most literal form of sustainable advertising which has minimal to zero impact on the environment. Since this time a number of other companies including Green Street Media have set up to provide sustainable advertising services.
See also
- Institute for Sustainable CommunicationInstitute for Sustainable CommunicationThe , , was founded in 2003 and is a non-profit organization that is devoted to sustainability through the printing, digital media and advertising industries. These fields are known together as Graphic Communication. ISC prepares graphic communication leaders to advance their businesses with...
- http://www.curbmedia.com
- http://www.greenstreetmedia.eu