We have had a close lens on ESG this year, evaluating the progress made by ourselves, others in the industry and building on the steps that can and need to be made in the future. The recent party conferences and imminent Autumn budget announcement have piqued our interest in whether the new Labour government signals a gear change towards environmental issues. The sentiment towards these issues appears to be growing and there’s lots of positive noise around a pace change in tackling the climate emergency. But we wanted to delve into what progress has been made, how it affects the media landscape and what it means for people trying to run their business sustainably.

So, what has been pledged by Labour?

Ed Miliband, the UK Energy Secretary, has vowed to make Britain a ‘clean energy’ superpower. Albeit, this is partly driven by a need for security, to protect us from being held ransom to fossil fuel inflation by international politics. But with a public target to have a fully de-carbonised power system by 2030, it’s something they’re taking seriously and need to move quickly on. Within weeks of being in power, Labour proudly announced the birth of ‘Great British Energy’ – a publicly owned, UK based, green energy company.

In addition to this, key steps towards a net-zero future were implemented weeks of coming-to-power which included:

• Lifting the onshore windfarm ban
• Introducing a rooftop solar panel revolution
• Establishing a new national wealth fund with the chancellor for green investment

This is a sure sign that the government is taking this seriously and is attempting to live up to it’s label as being the greenest government we’ve had.

To be credible in this, Labour needs to work hard to meet its Paris commitment, meaning it will be forced to increase regulation around emissions and sustainability – pushing businesses to be subject to stricter rules and increase transparency. With government putting more weight behind these issues, it will of course put a greater emphasis on businesses to act in a more sustainably responsible manner.

But why does this matter in media?

With Labour and the United Nation’s green agenda and momentum behind the ‘Better Business Act’ continuing, businesses will need to be more aware of, and transparent about, their effect on the environment. The Better Business Act calls for a change to a section of the Companies Act – “moving businesses from only having to act in the interest of their stakeholders, to having a legal obligation to meet sustainable objectives” too.

Essentially, for the UK to get close to hitting it’s 2030 Net Zero goal, all industries need to pull together. Businesses need to take responsibility for all their emissions waste, the advertising activity included.

“As one of the UK’s top growth industries and service exporters, we look forward to working with the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to help deliver sustainable growth across the UK’s nations and regions,” said Stephen Woodford, CEO of the Advertising Association. Woodford continued, “as we enter a new political landscape, creating the conditions for responsible, sustainable business growth is the top priority.”

Some brands (and clients we work with) already hold strong ESG credentials. Whether that’s due to the nature of their businesses – for example charities or perhaps eco start-ups that eliminate waste (e.g. wonky fruit and veg or coffee pods) – or because they place priority in other initiatives outside of just the brand e.g. social impact, fundraising for charitable causes. Within media, we see there being two parts that involve us; one is the business (brand) and what it stands for and the other is how it is advertised. The latter being where media strategy and choices are probably the most influential.

Back in May, ThinkBox launched its Profit Ability 2 study. At the event, Lawrence Green – Director of Effectiveness at the IPA gave his view on the top three hurdles he sees in the immediate future. Sustainable advertising was high on the list and he called out the lack of sustainable advertising and lack of corresponding case studies in this area.

Pioneering and effective campaigns such as the the Love Island and eBay partnership and Giff Gaff campaigns have helped the industry to recognise that ‘sustainable’ and ‘commercially effective’ do not need to be an either/or situation. If sustainable media planning can become the default and we see more effectiveness case studies in these areas, it will raise the standards and accountability of the advertising industry as a whole.

Doing our bit – the impact of accountability

We all need to be held accountable for the parts we play in the climate emergency. At MI, we are committed to continuous improvement, which is why we’ve teamed up with Future Plus to guide us on the path of sustainability. Offering tools and support to help integrate sustainable practices into our operations, Future plus has kept us accountable to our own on-going ESG commitments. From measuring our own Scope 3 emissions, to better recycling, improved policies and sourcing sustainable suppliers, our commitment to reducing our impact in the climate emergency remains stronger than ever.

But it’s not just internal practices that are crucial to our journey; working with clients that also share our values and commitments is just as important. Sustainability is becoming such an integral part of our lives and work, which is why we welcome clients that are open to having hard ESG conversations, opting for the more sustainable media plans over cost efficiency. Clients that “do good” make us feel good, and we are honoured to work with so many wonderful charities fighting to make the world a better place. Our Partners are equally important in driving positive change. Sustainable media plans will be prioritised in 2025 and beyond and we’ll be working with our partners collaboratively to offer effective, sustainable opportunities for our clients to take advantage of. We all need to be held accountable.