The British advertising agency WPP has featured in the Financial Times’ third edition of the top 500 of Europe’s Climate Leaders.
The 2023 list, which the global business publication has partnered with Statistica to publish, includes leaders in industries such as the automobile industry, financial services and apparel and luxury goods as well as players from adland.
WPP were tenth in the list which also featured UK broadcaster ITV, Finland’s Alma Media, Spain’s Atresmedia and Switzerland’s APG SGA.
Among WPP’s recent sustainability focused campaigns for clients is a four part series Cook Clever Waste Less featuring Prue Leith and Dr Rupy Aujla, which the advertising agency’s Mindshare worked with famous mayo brand Hellmann’s on.
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WPP – whose sustainability commitments include becoming carbon neutral across scope one and two emissions (which accounts for greenhouse gases emitted by the company itself and indirect emissions from energy it buys) by 2025 – also produces an annual sustainability report.
In their 2022 report, which the agency published last month, WPP highlighted that they have increased the amount of electricity they have purchased from renewable sources to 83% (up from 74% in 2021).
WPP’s carbon emissions from air travel (a scope 3 emission) were up from 2021 but significantly lower than in 2019, suggesting a return to more business travel following the Covid-19 lockdowns.
In 2021 it emitted 11,421 tonnes of C02 from air travel according to the report, whilst in 2022 the agency’s air travel emissions went up to 55,662. In 2019 WPP’s emissions from overseas air travel was a much higher 122, 962 tonnes of C02.
As well as its commitment to reducing scope one and two emissions, WPP has said it hopes to reach net zero scope three emissions by 2030.
