Research conducted by Outsmart, the accredited OOH trade body, and KMPG, has revealed that Out of home (OOH) advertising stands out as the most sustainable platform for brands when compared to other media channels.
The findings show that OOH generates the lowest carbon emissions per impression of all media channels analysed; less than 3.5%, outperforming online, radio, email, print and TV. Additionally, OOH accounts for only 3.3% of the UK’s total advertising energy consumption, representing just 0.067% of the country’s total electricity usage.
Ad Net Zero and ESG
Many OOH media owners in the UK have committed to achieving net zero emissions and are actively involved with Ad Net Zero. The report reveals that this is demonstrated through the capacity to exercise control over both the supply chain and end-to-end operations in OOH.
In a separate study conducted by Outsmart and Legacy, OOH was found to excel across key ESG metrics, with a particular strength in environmental factors. Outsmart reported that the UK OOH sector contributed £411 million in 2021 to support public services, infrastructure, communities, and employees.
Overall, these findings highlight the importance of considering sustainability when choosing advertising platforms and show that OOH is leading the way in this regard. Brands looking to reduce their carbon footprint and become more environmentally conscious are increasingly turning to OOH.
Get your full copy of the report here.
Putting sustainability at the heart of Ocean
Together with other media owners, we shared data for the Outsmart report, highlighting our efforts to reduce emissions in our business operations. These efforts include our commitment to adopting energy efficient lighting (LED), optimising logistics routes and selecting suppliers with strong environmental credentials.
Ocean Outdoor UK is a member of Ad Net Zero, therefore we have made a public pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 42% by 2030, in alignment with the Paris Agreement, and to achieve net zero emissions by 2040. We have been working with Watts Sustainability since 2020 to establish our baseline carbon footprint across scopes 1,2 and 3 in the UK, the Nordics, and the Netherlands.
Alongside this, our Drops in the Ocean initiative allocates 2% of our annual revenue in screen value to support environmental not for profits and charities across our digital screens. Additionally, since January 2024, we have pledged a percentage of our year on year revenue uplift via the Pinwheel platform to four critical marine-based projects. Goals include removing atmospheric carbon and restoring the planet’s natural eco-system.
If you are interested in learning more about our sustainability mission, you can read more here.