Leading the Charge: 51ToCarbonZero’s Vision for a Sustainable Media Ecosystem

As sustainability ambitions grow and companies of all sizes engage in innovation and seek opportunities to drive internal efficiencies, collaboration is a key component. We recently spoke to Richard Davis, CEO at 51ToCarbonZero, to learn more about their role in creating a more efficient and sustainable media ecosystem, and why collaboration is so important.

Can you provide an overview of what 51ToCarbonZero is and your organization’s mission?

Our mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to net-zero emissions. To achieve that mission, we offer organizations a software solution and expert advisory to track and reduce their carbon pollution, across their entire operations. Our platform not only measures your footprint but also helps you build a plan and manage your transition program.

To have the maximum possible impact, we have decided to focus on industries that shape people’s opinions, feelings, and behaviors, such as media, marketing, and advertising, as well as the arts, sports, and entertainment. By changing these companies and engaging their people, we can indirectly reach a much wider audience and have a bigger impact.

What role does 51ToCarbonZero play in the advertising and media industry, and how do you work with other initiatives focusing on sustainability in the space?

A number of players in the media industry are progressing the net-zero conversation. Our role at 51toCarbonZero is to help companies understand their full emissions—from their offices to their travel to their IT equipment, for example—and then build a plan and deliver it. We have a database of best practice solutions to help improve common areas such as energy efficiency, business travel, and waste management. But also more specific ad-tech improvements like the IAB recommendations.  At a broader scale, we support renewable energy procurement, SBTi (Science-Based Targets Initiative) target setting, and building effective engagement programs.

Then you have players who purely focus on measuring campaign emissions, like Scope3. They look at a specific part of your footprint. We can integrate their data into the broader corporate footprint. In addition, you have other offerings that propose specific media decarbonization solutions. For example, GreenBids helps with supply path optimization, which results in less carbon. Finally, you have industry bodies or initiatives like AdNetZero, whose role is to educate the industry about carbon emissions, share best practices, and define what good looks like.

Collaboration is absolutely key. We are trying to solve a global challenge! In our platform, we have built a database of solutions that all clients can access and contribute to. If they find a new way to manage their IT equipment that is more carbon-friendly or an amazing provider for refurbished laptops, they can share this on our platform and make it available to all of our partners.

What are the biggest challenges the advertising and media sectors face in reducing their carbon footprints?

Due to the interconnected nature of the supply chain with so many companies potentially involved, there is a lot of engagement required and often dependence on others to help reduce scope 3 emissions in particular. Measuring the total carbon impact of each company’s output/service within the supply chain is also a sticking point that industry bodies are helping to address.

How are you supporting Magnite’s sustainability ambitions?

We measure the business’s annual carbon footprint, work to continuously improve data, and, more recently, set science-based reduction targets. This includes building a set of actions to achieve those targets, which we have recently supported with renewable energy procurement. The next stage will be to engage with the supply chain of purchased products and services Magnite uses, such as suppliers of travel services or capital goods purchased by Magnite employees for work purposes. This will encourage action within the industry and further support Magnite’s sustainability goals.

What advice would you give any advertisers or publishers that were early in their sustainability journey?

Like all new things – a new sport, a new diet, a new language – the first step is always the most scary. But with the right support, everyone can get started! My recommendation is to look for a partner who understands your industry and can support you with the right advisory and tools to make the process repeatable and scalable.

What is your strategy for scaling your impact beyond the UK/Europe or reaching more companies globally?

We service our clients across over 30 markets, and we have a team in the US on both coasts. Next year, we want to strengthen our North American presence further. To make a real difference, we are engaging with policymakers and institutions. For example, we participated in a UK parliamentary summit on net-zero last year and we were with the municipality of Milan last month to discuss sustainable cities.

How do you see the future of sustainability evolving within the media ecosystem, and what role do you aim to play in that evolution?

Our ambition is to make the media industry the first industry that achieves net-zero. It will set an example for other industries and show the world that net-zero is possible! We want to be the catalyst of this movement, enabling every organization to get there faster and more efficiently.