Industry backs IAB initiative to boost transparency in environmental sustainability

Over 35 IAB UK members from across the digital advertising supply chain have committed to IAB UK’s Environmental Sustainability FAQs, which have been created to boost transparency and accountability around green credentials. 

Auto Trader, Blis, Criteo, The Guardian, Immediate Media, Microsoft, News UK, PubMatic and Teads are among the businesses that have completed the FAQs, alongside agency groups including Omnicom Media Group, GroupM, Publicis and dentsu. 

The voluntary initiative sees businesses submit information about what actions they are taking when it comes to environmental sustainability via a comprehensive online questionnaire (see appendix). The answers are publicly available via an online tool on the IAB’s website with the aim of improving transparency in this space and inspiring others to adopt similar practices. 

The FAQs also provide submitters with a centralised source to compile the steps they are taking, providing a more efficient way to share information with their partners and suppliers. The information can be updated on an ongoing basis, with viewers able to cross-compare answers across businesses to get a bird’s eye view of where progress is being made and where more attention may be needed. 

“In recent years we have seen our industry galvanise itself to tackle climate change and we have a shared goal to decarbonise the digital advertising supply chain. While this momentum is brilliant, it has also led to a proliferation of different standards, strategies and frameworks,” explained Sophia Haynes, Director of Transformation at IAB UK. 

“We wanted to create some cohesion and give our members a place to publicly state what they are doing in a straightforward and accessible way. We all know that achieving net zero is going to take united action and, at the root of that, is sharing. If we can create more transparency, accountability and efficiency in this space that can only be a good thing that accelerates our progress.”

IAB UK members can submit to the Environmental Sustainability FAQs here.