The project will enable agencies, media owners and brands to go beyond their operational emissions to measure and mitigate the environmental impact of advertising campaigns.
A new partnership between the University of Portsmouth and Purpose Disruptors aims to revolutionise the advertising industry’s approach to environmental sustainability.
The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), which is jointly funded by Innovate UK, the UK's national innovation agency, and Purpose Disruptors, will help to develop and strengthen Purpose Disruptors’ Advertised Emissions measurement framework. Advertised Emissions enables agencies, media owners and brands to go beyond their operational emissions to measure and mitigate the environmental impact of advertising campaigns and the emissions caused as a result of advertising-driven consumption.
The shared aim is to transform Advertised Emissions into a globally recognised standard. By doing so:
- Companies will have clear guidelines for reducing their carbon footprint from advertising, leading to a more sustainable advertising ecosystem.
- Organisations that adopt the Advertised Emissions framework will differentiate themselves as leaders in environmental consciousness.
- Consumers increasingly expect transparency and accountability from brands - adhering to Advertised Emission standards will enhance trust and loyalty.
As companies increasingly recognise their role in shaping consumer behaviour, there is a growing demand for rigorous standards that address the holistic impact and carbon footprint of advertising activities beyond the operational footprint.
This collaboration represents a unique opportunity to leverage academic expertise and industry insights to drive transformative change in marketing sustainability, ultimately shaping a more environmentally responsible future for the advertising industry.
Steve Woodhouse, Innovate UK Business Connect, said: “I was delighted to support this project on behalf of Innovate UK - the ambition for the collaboration has huge contemporary and environmental importance. The KTP affords access to world-class research expertise at the University of Portsmouth, enabling Purpose Disruptors to establish universally accepted metrics correlating the interrelationship of societal consumerism with climate exigencies.”
Purpose Disruptors, founded in 2019, is a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to catalyse the advertising industry’s climate transition towards halving emissions by 2030.
Jonathan Wise, Co-Founder of Purpose Disruptors, said: “Advertised Emissions is an innovative idea that has already been adopted by advertising agencies who want to lead on sustainability. This partnership will inject academic rigour into the methodology to enable mainstream adoption.
“We are delighted that the UK government’s innovation agency recognises the potential of Advertised Emissions through investing in our partnership with the University of Portsmouth. It demonstrates climate leadership by supporting this pivotal work to bring alignment across the industry to measure and reduce the emissions associated with the work the advertising industry puts into the world.”
The KTP funding will provide a full-time academic role to work with the advertising industry, leading practitioners and businesses to test, evolve, and embed the methodology across all areas of the advertising ecosystem. The research will add rigour to the methodology and enhance the its application at an organisational and industry level, employing an academic-led approach supported by insights from industry experts.
We are delighted that the UK government’s innovation agency recognises the potential of Advertised Emissions through investing in our partnership with the University of Portsmouth. It demonstrates climate leadership by supporting this pivotal work to bring alignment across the industry to measure and reduce the emissions associated with the work the advertising industry puts into the world.
Dr Karen Middleton, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, and her research team at the University of Portsmouth are dedicated to advancing knowledge and driving impactful research in environmental sustainability.
Dr Middleton said: “As companies increasingly recognise their role in shaping consumer behaviour, there is a growing demand for rigorous standards that address the holistic impact and carbon footprint of advertising activities beyond the operational footprint.
“This collaboration represents a unique opportunity to leverage academic expertise and industry insights to drive transformative change in marketing sustainability, ultimately shaping a more environmentally responsible future for the advertising industry.”
The partnership will be recruiting a KTP Associate to work on the development and delivery of this transformative project. If you are passionate about environmental sustainability and want to make a difference, apply here.
For more information about KTPs at the University of Portsmouth, please contact Sandra Johnson at Sandra.Johnson@port.ac.uk
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