Media leaders launch industry fund for climate and nature action

A group of media and advertising companies are promoting greater climate action in the industry, including through a newly launched fund.

Mobile operator giffgaff, media agency MG OMD and industry body Ad Net Zero have teamed up with climate action platform Ecologi on the ‘Up to Good Fund’, which will collect funding from the industry to invest in climate and nature projects.

Through the fund, companies can commit a voluntary percentage of campaign spend, ranging from 0.1% to 4%, to Ecologi’s nature recovery projects, with all members of the campaign contributing – including the brand, the agency and the media owners. 

The group estimates that if the UK media sector invested 0.1% of its annual spend into climate action, £200 million could be raised by 2030.

Georgina Bramall, Director of Marketing Strategy at giffgaff, said: “Our members have highlighted the importance of protecting and restoring nature as part of the broader fight against climate change. Alongside reducing emissions across our business and value chain, our members expect us to look at the bigger picture of what it takes to sustain a living planet. By working with media and advertising partners, we can use our creativity, reach and influence to unlock investment in climate and nature, going beyond net zero to secure a thriving planet for all.” 

Media emissions and carbon levy

More work needs to be done to assess the climate impact of the media industry, but it is estimated to represent 2 to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Media can represent anywhere from 5% to 40% of total organisation emissions, according to data shared with Ad Net Zero. 

The industry body launched a sustainability framework for the media sector in 2024, and with growing adoption, measurement of media emissions is expected to improve. Then, the companies behind the ‘Up to Good Fund’ hope the industry will adopt a media carbon levy, “applying an agreed industry-wide carbon price to media emissions”. This will in turn create a financial incentive for the media ecosystem to decarbonise, while providing funds for nature recovery.

Tim Pritchard, Head of Responsible Media, MG OMD, added: “At MG OMD, we believe that marketing and media plans should play a central role in supporting a company’s sustainability strategy, delivering nature-positive outcomes alongside reaching audiences and driving strong business performance. The media supply chain can and should be adapted to reflect organisational commitments to Net Zero, as well as positive results for both people and nature.”