Watch: It’s time to be leaders – delivering net zero by 2030

At The Future of Brands conference in April, we brought together two titans of our industry in Unilever and MediaCom to discuss the ever increasingly important topic of delivering net zero.

Sebastian Munden (executive vice-president and general manager, Unilever UK & Ireland) and Helen Brain (head of sustainability, MediaCom) spoke to James Best (Chair of UK advertising think tank, Credos) to ask how brands, along with their agency and media partners across the industry, are demonstrating real leadership and collaboration on climate action.

There’s more CO2 in our atmosphere than at any other time in human history – and we’re well on the path to exceeding 1.5C of warming, which will be catastrophic for our planet and its people. And advertising plays a big role in the climate emergency.

Meanwhile, 71% of people working across the industry are worried about the negative impacts our industry has on the environment – and even more want their agencies to take climate action. But just as advertising is so effective in making us buy – it can be as effective and impressive in initiating change.

Now, 18 months following the launch of Ad Net Zero, this session shared the opportunities available to make practical change a reality, and asked:

• • How can brands demonstrate real leadership on climate action?
  • What changes do we need to see within the industry to force through change?
  • How will developments like the Ad Net Zero certification standard accelerate change?
  • How are brands like Unilever facilitating change through their work?
  • How do we build a genuine global movement to tackle the most pressing issue affecting everyone on our planet?