New study released to coincide with Black Friday concludes that efforts to tackle the climate crisis would be strengthened by major reforms to the advertising industry
Pressure on the advertising industry to reassess its engagement with polluting and environmentally damaging clients ratcheted up another gear this week, with the publication of a new report exploring how the sector is exacerbating the climate crisis.
The new report from think tank the New Weather Institute and environmental charity We are Possible forms part of the 'Badvertising' campaign, which is calling for new measures to curb the promotion of carbon intensive products and services. It follows the launch of a major new US campaign, dubbed Clean Creatives, which is modelled on the divestment movement and is calling on advertising and PR firms to sever ties with clients that are failing to advance the net zero transition.
Released to coincide with the annual wave of 'Black Friday' promotions, the report is titled Advertising's role in climate and ecological degradation and explores a raft of academic studies assessing how advertising can exacerbate environmental impacts.
Through an extensive assessment of recent research it analyses how advertising fuels "materialistic values and goals" and accelerates a "consumption-driving work and spend cycle" that amplifies demand for environmentally damaging products.
The report identified several studies that explored how advertising can trigger more materialistic impulses in consumers that in turn fuel "negative ecological attitudes and unsustainable behaviours".
It also cites research that suggests advertising contributes to a working culture that prioritises longer working hours and consumption over non-work activities.
And the study analyses how demand for two products with significant environmental impacts - beef and tobacco - is increased through advertising campaigns.
"It seems likely that similar dynamics occur for other products, services, and experiences," the report argues. "This body of empirical evidence therefore supports the conclusion that if humanity hopes to make progress in addressing and reversing climate and ecological degradation, it would be prudent to rein in and change the practices of the advertising industry."
The report does not put forward policy recommendations for curbing advertising of polluting products, but it points to the 'badvertising' campaign and its research into how bans on advertising tobacco and junk food have proved effective at curbing demand for damaging products.
The news comes just days after the UK's Advertising Association launched a new Ad Net Zero campaign, designed to improve environmental performance across the industry.
Stephen Woodford, chief executive of the Advertising Association, argued that "banning advertising of certain parts of the economy is not the answer; applying pressure on systemic change in the way an industry operates is, and recognising that advertising itself will make the best contribution to climate action by helping promoting these critical changes to people and encourage rapid behaviour change".
He added that the new Ad Net Zero would help to both curb emissions across the industry and encourage advertisers and agencies to "measure the carbon impact of their campaigns which is a good and proven first step towards reduction".