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Environmental Policy. With the current political hiatus should I worry?

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2013-04-04T15:02:11+11:00

To put appropriate sustainable purchasing practices within your own business and all along your supply chain will require at least 6-12 months to get from agreement to initial benchmarking. Depending on the complexity of your strategy, to move from this ‘current state’ to setting measurable reduction targets will then take another 1 to 2 years. Business has had to grab the reigns in the environmental area to ensure long-term survival. Corporates that wish to be competitive in 10-15 years time have to have a robust sustainability plan. That includes bringing their long-term business partners along with them. Just look at the publicly available sustainability plans of leading companies likes of ANZ , Lend Lease, and Stockland. The longer one procrastinates the higher the cost to play catch up becomes.

The correlation between sustainability and profit

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2013-03-28T11:21:19+11:00

Business is now clearly seeing that sustainability initiatives are having a positive effect on profits. Read the report from Boston Consulting Group and the MIT’s Sloan Management Review.

Get more than just environmental lip service from tender responses

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2013-03-27T11:01:52+11:00

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Bricks & Mortar vs On-line shopping. Who has the largest carbon footprint?

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2012-11-26T13:10:46+11:00

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Proud to be tackling climate change

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2012-07-02T12:21:11+10:00

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Changing office behaviour help keep a lid on those rising power bills

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2012-07-01T15:38:35+10:00

There are many ways to tackle this power driven cost from energy efficient light bulbs to solar panels on the roof. One simple tried and tested method that is easy to deploy is the Greentrac system. It will help you reduce your organisations PC and office print equipment electricity costs. Greentrac is a world class monitoring agent solution. It constantly monitors all of your workgroup PC’s and workstation printing, it’s CO2 and related cost in real time. It lets your users know the impact they have on the environment and cost – during or even before they print. For more information contact greentrac@gaiapartnership.com

The march of the carbon measurement API

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2012-07-01T15:36:56+10:00

The last thing needed in today’s tough business environment is another stand-a-lone process. This is especially true for reporting of carbon that does not have an immediate ROI. The CO2counter API has now been integrated into numerous primary business systems ensuring no replication of data entry, just customised carbon reporting. This cost effective solution allows switch on/off options by client ensuring that the customers reporting requirements are met. A number of our API installs have also included the offset option. This again gives the customer a choice by allowing automatic transactional or periodic offsetting and certificate generation.

Will carbon measurement disappear under a Coalition government?

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2012-07-01T15:35:21+10:00

Based on the current political rhetoric there seems to be a wide chasm between the environment policies of the warring party leaders in Australia. This, amongst other pressing economic woes, continues to lead to nervousness with what to do about future environmental investment and carbon measurement within business today. The question to ask when considering understanding carbon within an organisation is will this information be required if, according to the political polls, the Coalition party take the helm? Whilst there is a lack of detail on the Coalitions environmental policy it is committed, as is the current government, to a 5% reduction in emissions below 2000 levels by 2020. ‘Direct Action’ is the proposed and apposing method of achieving this target. While the media speculates on the complexity of this approach, it seems to require more carbon reporting than less. You will find this is the one of the reasons that leading companies are continuing on the journey towards a lower carbon footprint. Regardless of whether they are true environmental believers or not, they understand that carbon measurement is here to stay. The "bury-the-head-in-the-sand" approach, for the next 12 months, and it will go away business strategy is not going to work.

Environmental choice for on-line shoppers using Temando

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2012-06-28T18:47:51+10:00

From inception, they introduced a carbon-offsetting scheme with the The CO2counter technology to help neutralise the carbon footprint of shipping customer’s products. Effectively, by including the offsetting option, customers can choose to negate the carbon dioxide that goes into the atmosphere from the process of shipping their order. At the checkout, customers will see an option to offset the shipment. By selecting this box, the amount of carbon is automatically calculated and the offset fee is added to the shipping cost – usually well under a $1.00. The unique CO2counter technology allows the offset certificate to be automatically generated as a PDF and emailed to the customer. The fee is used to invest in projects that prevent or remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.

Transaction level Australian offsets now available with the CO2counter

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2012-04-02T12:35:35+10:00

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Companies supply chains next carbon target

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-11-08T11:10:50+11:00

Shareholder pressure to cut ‘cradle to grave’ product emissions look set to lead multinationals to select low carbon suppliers, Carbon Trust Advisory report finds.

The Path to Carbon-Footprint labeling

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-10-27T13:28:53+11:00

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Can Cloud Computing avert the Carbon Storm

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-09-14T12:57:50+10:00

Does cloud computing have the potential to reduce companies carbon emissions? A US report from The Carbon Project by Verdantix concludes a big tick for the 'Yes' side of the argument. Public clouds focus on the efficiency of the data centre. As a major source of carbon emissions efficiency can only be a good thing for the environment. Have a read of the report.

ANZ case study. Cutting the carbon cost of printing

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-08-12T17:09:35+10:00

Why ANZ choose Gaia and the CO2counter to assist with their environmental strategy.

On-line retailers take advantage of CO2counter’s new cloud solution

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-08-12T17:07:02+10:00

More and more consumers are shopping over the internet. On-line retailers are looking for every advantage to attract and retain their custom. That’s why on-line retailers in Australia are opting to use the CO2counter to measure the CO2 for key elements of their supply chain. The CO2counter is used to intercept data for their customers. This enables the growing on-line retail industry to deliver carbon measurement to their customers at the point of sale or sooner. This, and a good cyber purchasing experience, has reduced abandonment and increased sales.

Gaia & Climate Friendly collaborate on transactional level carbon offset certificates

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-08-12T17:04:36+10:00

Has your business ever purchased a carbon offset? Well try doing it a gram at a time. The need to do so is growing and that’s why Gaia can now assist the carbon reduction strategy by issuing offsets, by the gram of CO2 if required.

The Gaia Partnership and Greentrac

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-08-12T16:59:40+10:00

Greentrac is a world class monitoring agent solution. It constantly monitors all of your workgroup PC’s and workstation printing, it’s CO2 and related cost in real time. It lets your users know the impact they have on the environment and cost – during or even before they print. Use proven tools and methodology to manage PC’s and printer fleets. Change behaviour that affects the consumption of carbon from electricity use and printed material. For more information contact greentrac@gaiapartnership.com

Measurement of CO2 in digital files commences in Europe

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-08-12T16:42:35+10:00

Few marketers realise that transferring their production ready media files creates a carbon footprint….but their customers do. That’s why when one of the world’s leading digital companies was asked by its client to include carbon measurement in their mandatory reporting they came to Gaia for assistance. Gaia was chosen to undertake this project due to the CO2counter’s proven methodology in measuring carbon emissions in various marketing functions including internet advertising delivery. This calculation is delivered via Gaia’s on-line CO2counter system. The methodology used for the calculation comes from Gaia’s existing IP and a combination of leading academic research. All sources of this research were shown to the customers.

What the carbon tax means. The short version.

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-07-12T13:43:52+10:00

Barbie Destroying rainforest

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-06-23T08:13:50+10:00

How Dirty is your data?

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-05-10T13:56:55+10:00

Greenpeace's report on what energy choices the major data centres are making.

The power driving social media

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-05-05T08:03:12+10:00

http://youtu.be/QPty-ZLbJt0

More huffing and puffing over carbon debate

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-03-30T12:34:00+11:00

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LIA sheds light on carbon debate

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-03-01T13:48:08+11:00

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Carbon debate at LIA function

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-02-23T13:08:37+11:00

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Why CO2 should be measured at a tranactional level in Print

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2011-02-23T10:34:27+11:00

Podcast

Media Companies being to measure the CO2 from advertising. CO2counter still only independent system

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2010-12-08T16:13:24+11:00

At last, some movement in the UK on measuring carbon emissions in advertising. While the CO2counter remains the only independent calculator of Carbon emissions it is good to see some more interest in this aspect of a companies carbon footprint. Please read full article. Note the CO2counter has been doing this work in Australia for over 2 years. http://www.smvgroup.com/news.asp? pr=1826

The Mediavore's Dilemma: Making Sustainable Media Choices

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2010-06-02T07:51:24+10:00

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The Carbon Trust explain Carbon Product Labeling to the Marketing Community

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2010-05-03T18:47:05+10:00

Print community clocks up CO2counter

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2010-02-24T16:39:17+11:00

One month after its launch and printers are continuing to consult new research from RMIT on the carbon impacts of paper manufacture. Read the full article in Print 21

The path to the independent and honest measurement of carbon emissions in printing

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2010-02-15T16:18:39+11:00

One reason the positive side of printings environmental message is falling on deaf ears is the lack of consistent and transparent carbon data. ...Currently we have a mishmash of measurements with all sorts of boundaries showing what’s in and what’s out when compared to that ‘evil virgin paper.’ The current technique that is attempting to stem the flow of marketers all ‘dot-dashing’ to the on-line world is self managed carbon calculators. ...Then we will help you feel better by planting a tree to replace the one you just murdered to help sell your product.” ...At least it is transparent and if the other channels are brave enough to show their carbon footprints in the same manner, printing will be seen in its true light. ...Do you not think Big Green Printing Company (BGPC) will not hesitate to shave a few dollars off the quote to ensure that they get that nice new long-term contract? And if that client has a propensity for ‘Green’ how tempted will BGPC be to ‘economize’ the carbon statistics to keep everyone smiling? More important is how our Green print buyer is going to compare BGPC with Even Bigger Green Printing Company if they are both running their own closed carbon calculators. Everyone’s stated intention is on the one hand to do the right thing environmentally while balancing the need for commercial survival on the other. ...Here in Australia we are fortunate enough to have a homegrown company that can bring standardization to the measurement of carbon in printing. The Gaia Partnership has been researching, testing and developing a unique methodology that is now available to all buyers and suppliers of print. The CO2counter is an on-line application that assists buyers and producers of all forms of marketing communications, including printing. Gaia is working with some of Australia’s leading companies to better understand the carbon footprint being generated by the buying decisions they make across all marketing channels. The ‘bespoke’ printing section allows well-run printers to have their independently audited green house calculations hosted in a fully maintained secure site. So when customers are looking to measure the CO2 from their printing they can quickly and independently see the CO2 emissions from their chosen activity. ...If the printing industry wants to re position itself as the only truly sustainable marketing channel it has to make it simpler for the end consumer. ...or “Look how many environmental labels we have to prove how green we are.” is not a sustainable business proposition. Consistent and independent measurement in a transparent manner will allow the environmental message to be clearly understood.

Tread lightly on the path to green marketing

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2010-01-11T15:47:59+11:00

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Carbon impacts of paper manufacture literature review study

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2009-12-01T14:12:31+11:00

Detailed research has been carried out on identifying the key areas pertaining to carbon related impacts in the entire life cycle of paper. The report is intended to be used for both internal and external purposes.

A Simple Guide to Climate Change

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2009-11-16T16:20:07+11:00

Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo.

How Green is Aussie Media?

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2009-11-07T13:05:28+11:00

Christopher Sewell, chief executive at The Gaia Partnership (a green auditing business affiliated with pitch consultants Trinity P3), estimates that globally, media outlets release 240 billion tonnes of CO2 into the Earth’s atmosphere each year, based on research from Veronis Suhler Stevenson in the United States. ...An audit conducted by TrinityP3 in Australia last year, based on a dummy media schedule of a typical campaign created by Maxus, found the internet topped the list emitting 2258kg of CO2 in order to reach 1million grocery buyers, followed by television at 1714kg, newspapers at 1000kg, cinema at 359kg, radio at 74kg and outdoor at 25kg. ...When it comes to the print industry, most agree Rupert Murdoch has led the charge towards a more sustainable future, which considering the amount of paper his businesses must have consumed over the decades, seems like an appropriate stance. News Corp – which emitted 642,237 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere in fiscal 2008, according to its 2008 sustainability report, 5% less than 2006 – has committed to being carbon neutral by 2010. ...Mark Hollands, chief executive of the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers’ Association, says Australia’s recycling efforts have improved since the establishment of the Publisher’s National Environment Bureau in the mid 1990s (current members include News, Fairfax, ACP, APN News and West Australian Newspapers). ...“We really need to solve the coal-fire power issue for Albury (Norske Skog’s NSW paper mill), so we’re looking at biomass co-generation (using renewable energy to create both steam and electricity) to power industrial processes... our next big challenge is a carbon-reduction target of 25% between 2006 and 2025.” ...Seven, Nine and Ten don’t fall under the scheme’s requirements for mandatory emissions reporting, although this may change when the NGER’s first reporting year, which began in July 2008, enters into its second and third year. ...At Channel Nine, Scott Soutar, station manager for Sydney, says the network has been running an “Energy Action Savings Plan” since 2007 which primarily deals with energy efficient purchasing decisions and management systems at the network. ...While a digital frequency may be more efficient to run, digital radios themselves consume significantly more energy than analogue receivers – at least four times more than a traditional analogue set, according to a United Kingdom Energy Savings Trust report published two years ago. ...The company has also trialled green electricity in the past (“but with the way it’s currently priced, it’s not efficient commercially to do that,” says Davies) and is currently investigating installing smart metering into all of its premises. ...Reporting on a Harvard study, the UK’s The Sunday Times claimed two Google searches on a desktop computer generated the same amount of CO2 as boiling a kettle – a claim later refuted by the study’s author, physicist Alex Wissner-Gross, who said he never mentioned Google in his research, but was referring to the CO2 output of running websites in general. ...“It’s more around all the storage for that data ... all the things that sit behind that delivery mechanism is massive, and you’ve also got the issue of how do get through to someone in that environment? ...According to HR manager Josie Gosling, the company is involved in a number of green programs in the office, including a recycling and waste-reduction scheme, the Australian Square Water Consumption Reduction program and a “switch-off” initiative which urges all employees to switch off desk and office lighting after business hours to ensure energy efficiency. ...Janine Wood, marketing director at Eye, says it’s too early to draw any conclusions from the report, although the company is “undertaking energy-saving and cost-saving initiatives around outdoor lighting where possible” and is in the process of creating a taskforce to implement green initiatives. ...Media has also introduced a LED lighting system which consumes 90% less power than fluorescent tubes, and created mobile schedules that reduces the energy consumption of its mobile fleet by 33% (emission control technology for vehicles is currently being reviewed by the company). ...For the direct marketing industry, environmental sustainability has long been an issue – albeit focused more on wastage with direct mail than energy usage and CO2 emissions. ...“On one side, there are issues to be managed with the sourcing and production of paper... on the other, electronic communications impact on the environment too due to the energy consumption of computer servers,” says Rohan. ...“(In the guidelines) areas that have the potential to significantly reduce the DM industry’s environmental footprint are tackled, including what actions can be taken in the workplace environment, as well as the instructions on how to best procure paper and most respected certifiers of paper products,” says Rohan.

Carbon neutrally. Isn't it just cheating?

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2009-06-16T17:30:10+10:00

This great send up of the whole carbon neutrally proposition should be duly noted by companies that just want the problem to go away. Remember the focus should always be on measurement & reduction.

Green-washing. How to tread carefully on a planet full of environmental land-mines

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2009-05-14T18:12:08+10:00

I wait with interest for the final release of Australia's AANA’s environmental code of conduct. The aim is to produce an advertisers guide on how to sell a “Green’ product with a shrinking marketing spend, to a hesitant and fast becoming cynical environmentally aware buyer. Now that’s what I call a Herculean task. Having spent $1000’s measuring the ins and outs of the carbon food chain to get a product with a 'Green' tinge on the shelf we will soon have yet another set of guidelines to navigate. With the ACCC’s Green-washing guide (Australia's Trade practices act) as our current judge and jury do we really need more help (read speed bumps) in this current economic climate? Unfortunately yes we do. The question remains “how green is green enough” before you tell the world to buy your product and save the planet. There is no easy answer. We are moving painstakingly slowly towards a low carbon economy. Until we arrive there will continue to be confusion and false green claims. The best protection is knowledge. Understand every aspect of your product’s supply chain, including the carbon impact of the advertising. If you are doing the best you can with your eyes wide open then you are ready to take it to the market. If it is truly green you have nothing to fear. If you are just measuring and going down the offsetting road to wave the carbon neutrality flag as a product benefit then you will sooner or later step on a mine. The fallout will definitely leave a nasty stain on your corporate reputation.

The dangers of being tainted by the 'Carbon Neutral' tag

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2009-02-05T17:06:57+11:00

Engaging a carbon auditor (definitely a species that is not on the endangered list) to take a look at your books and have a stroll around your company is a very fashionable exercise these days. The result is a report that shows the shoe size of your carbon footprint. Now that you are enlightened as to the contribution you are making to world pollution and global warming, you can walk around any given corner and run into a gaggle of carbon off-setters who will magically change your CO2 into a majestic stand of whispering casuarinas. ...Turning the first sod is always a great photo opportunity for the company’s next newsletter. Then you and the rest of the corporate team can then rush out and celebrate the metamorphosis of your company into a lean, green, planet saving machine. ...They play an essential role in protecting water tables, reducing soil erosion, provided natural habitat for the diverse living entities that have the misfortune to share the planet with us, and oh yes, also help absorb some of the pollution you are spewing out. ...It is not enough to just measure and offset to claim ‘carbon neutrality’. The carbon neutral sign swinging gently in the warming breeze does not actually reduce your CO2 contribution to the planets woes. ...Would you be so quick to claim ‘Pollution Neutral’ on the company website? Embedding reduction policies into your business plan and every aspect of your daily production will make the real difference. ...An environmental audit saved the company not only 9200 tonnes of CO2 but £1,200,000 in the first year. ... Source: ‘Carbon footprints in the supply chain: The next step for business’, published by The Carbon Trust. By understanding the high and low environmental impact areas within your business you can embed a meaningful policy deep into every link of your company’s supply chain. ...Then and only then are you ready to find a credible partner to identify the most appropriate carbon offset strategy with robust, traceable and government approved carbon offsets. ... If you then feel it is the correct marketing policy to claim carbon neutrality, again that is your choice. At least the sign will be a lot more solid and be better prepared to withstand any cynical wind that may blow your way. Finally when you are labouring your way through the latest tender document with it’s increasing growing list of environmental requirements you can, with confidence, add a lot more substance to your answers. ...To bastardise a well known metaphor for the charlatans guide to running a ‘carbon neutral’ company “just pay peanuts and keep polluting the monkeys”.

Are carbon offsets the first refuge of rogues?

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-11-08T11:54:57+11:00

In this special audio presentation Chris Sewell who also is Business Director for TrinityP3 consulting services, sits down with David Crew of On Paper to talk about the explosion of marketing businesses claiming ‘Carbon neutrality’ as a marketing position while not understanding that offsets are the first refuge of rogues. Chris is passionate about reducing carbon emissions in the business he knows - advertising. http://papertellsastory.com/2008/11/07/sustaincommworld-live-with-christopher-sewell/

Greening the internet by the Americans?

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-10-31T18:04:06+11:00

We had arranged to see a number of companies including the leading advertiser industry body to test the water with our environmental marketing solutions. ...Would anyone be interested in greening up their marketing spend in a strategically and balanced way when simply slashing the advertising budget would do the trick? ...The old adage of “if you cannot measure it you cannot manage it” was being clearly understood so our offering of knowledge of the carbon footprint across all media channels was clearly understood and welcomed. It was interesting to note that the keynote speaker at the Green Media show in Boston, Mr Michael Harrison deputy VP of brand marketing Timberland, was able to attribute a carbon footprint to all areas of his business except the advertising. So he had his staff make some calls to the TV stations to get an idea and then doubled it. ...That’s a lot of coal burning carbon just to allow your next pop up ad to appear on the latest green offsetting portal. CO2Stats has an application that sits on the website and measures the CO2 being generated by all the networks and the end users consumption of the data on their screens. Things like bad functionality leading to slow loading times will not only keep you off Google search, it will also lead to a higher carbon footprint. There are currently over 28,000 on-line companies from around the world using this measurement tool to help understand the carbon impact of the web. ...It is being used to help reduce costs internally within on-line companies, which is fantastic. But just image how much quicker some advertising sites would minimize their carbon emissions if this information was in the hands of the media planners and buyers. Oh, and yes the advertisers who they are working for need to care about the environmental footprint when they sell their goods and services. ...Until then it will be up to the likes of TrinityP3 to give companies, who have sustainability as a cornerstone of their future business planning, a guide to the carbon impact of their advertising. So are the American’s interested in understanding the carbon impact of their advertising? ...This is sad and bad business as it shows how slow the UK and especially Australia is reacting to the global threat of climate change. We should be taking this far more seriously as Government legislation has caused carbon mitigation to be a necessary for business everywhere. ...To quote Professor Ross Garnaut from Australia when he released his final Emission Trading System report amongst the financial turmoil "Financial crises are short-term phenomena ... climate change is a long-term structural issue”. To date, marketing has been largely overlooked in the business of environmental strategy and yet ironically it is the way most companies and organisations go about informing the public on their environmental achievements.

Advertiser’s Carbon Footprint equivalent to 380,000,000 cars

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-08-25T14:53:17+10:00

According to our calculations marketing communication globally is responsible for over 500 million tonnes of CO2-e per year and is forecast to grow by over 5 percent every year thereafter. To get this into some prospective, this is the equivalent amount CO2-e generated in the same period by over 380,000,000 average fuel-efficient cars. This is more than half the total number of cars on the road today! This figure is made up of $450 billion in media spend which equals approximately 162 million tonnes CO2-e a year plus the commercial print, direct marketing, design and production related activities; making up the balance. Carbon should be used as another measure when advertisers plan their media. This will not only reduce the advertisers’ emissions it will also send a message to the media channels and marketing suppliers to improve their footprint. And no, just shifting to on-line is not the simple answer.

The carbon impact of printing. A simple guide

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-07-25T16:30:57+10:00

‘Carbon neutral’ doesn't mean you have a carbon efficient printer. The printing process with it’s electrically driven equipment accounts for another 10% of the carbon. And while it’s a smaller impact than paper, it is the one decision you can influence the most. ...How your printer deals with it's waste will have approximately the same percentage impact as the printing process. Newspaper production produces about 10% of it’s emissions from the transport of waste and returns and collections. Commercial print does not have returns and collection but waste is still created if the product has a limited life-span. ...Distribution of the printed item accounts for about 5% of the carbon. ...Transport of the paper to the printer and the carbon cost of ink production. Imported paper may have a lower carbon footprint but what did it cost in carbon to get it here? ...Time in a warehouse will cost carbon. While traditional economics of print more and store, or print for pull distribution, were correct historically, in the Carbon Age, print on-demand needs to be looked at again. ...While no one sets out to print and destroy, it happens. And the cost has moved beyond the wasted money, the wasted carbon needs to be factored in as well. One approach is to review the re-print triggers to check whether the approval procedures for re-orders need changing. ...Strike a more equitable balance between direct cost savings and increased carbon costs for transport. ...Beware of the carbon neutral shingle hanging out front. Carbon neutral does not mean carbon efficient. Measured and continuous carbon reduction is what is required.

Big Brother's shrinking carbon footprint from it's rating demise.

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-07-25T16:30:05+10:00

As the station bosses worried themselves, then the show into an early grave, there is some good news. Big Brother was contributing over 1.5 tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere for each 30 seconds of viewing during the peak of the latest series. This national audience was very attractive to any would be advertiser wishing to promote their goods and services during the show. Unfortunately as the shows popularly waned so did the advertisers enthusiasm. As the ratings tumbled so did Big Brothers massive carbon footprint. He finally got his marching orders when during it's lowest ratings period it could only claim responsibility for just over half a tonne of carbon for each 30 second spot. So having failed to attract the necessary number of carbon eating plasma watching consumers he was finally laid to rest. Look on the bright side, the show was so boring that the carbon emissions were reduced by over a tonne! Let's just hope that all those viewers turned their TV's off and had a game of cards under their energy saving light bulbs.

IT industry's carbon footprint equal to aviation's

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-07-25T16:28:51+10:00

The lack of comment from the IT industry on the new Carbon Age has been suspicious in it's absence. And for good reason. Those good people at Carbon Trust in the UK have just announced a new programme to help companies understand the energy use within data centres. You can read the release for yourself below but it is interesting to note that the 2% of world wide energy consumption that is being used to power the IT industry is equivalent to aviation industry. So if you are a lover of carbon offsetting your interstate flights you may want to start considering planting a couple of trees after you have read this blog.

Carbon emission reduction NOT Carbon neutral

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-07-25T16:27:39+10:00

These standards require continuous reductions in emissions to maintain their status. The claiming of being Carbon Neutral without disclosure of what amounts are being offset (produced in the first place!) is frowned upon. As it should be. Come on Australia get on the front foot and stop running up the carbon neutral flag and congratulating yourselves on a job well done. Let's make who can reduce the most a competitive measure in this great capitalistic country of ours. Instead of who planted the most trees it should be about how has reduced their carbon emissions the most. It's about not doing it in the first place stupid.

The Hidden Carbon Culprit

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-07-25T16:26:26+10:00

Beware of the carbon neutral lure

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-07-25T16:25:04+10:00

In Australia there has been a rapid growth of marketing services companies claiming ‘carbon neutrality’, and built-in offsets’. Also some of these suppliers are now indicating offsets as a loading (some TV production estimates are starting to have an 0.8% carbon offset fee as a line item) or claiming, either with accreditation or on their own calculations, to be ‘carbon neutral’. So is it a case of business as usual and charge the end consumer for planting a tree? In my option advertisers should take ownership of any offsetting they wish to buy. This will ensure that is compliant and also lines up with the company's environmental strategy. Regardless of how many trees you pay to plant the point is the emissions are still occurring in the first place.

The perils of claiming the Green high ground

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-07-25T16:23:24+10:00

Slowly but surely examples of bad luck or bad management of a company’s environmental positioning are creeping into the media. The resent classic was Sir Paul McCartney’s gift for helping the planet, the eco-friendly Hybrid Lexus, being delivered by jet from Japan! In the rush to measure these offset emissions, care must be taken before using this ‘carbon neutrality’ and putting your company’s flag on the moral high ground.

Green-washers beware: Tesco show the the correct way to market their eco direction

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-07-25T16:22:06+10:00

Too many companies are waving their 'carbon neutral' accreditation flags out of their windows without telling us the contribution they are making to climate change. While Tesco have a long way to go, I for one think it is a great example for all those Green-washers out their on how correctly to position their environmental credentials. Who's next? And do not forget about measuring the amount of carbon that is generated from telling us what a great green job you are doing. "Tesco Launches Carbon-Labeling on Products" Tesco, the world's third-largest food store launched a carbon labeling system that makes it easy for shoppers to compare the carbon footprint created by competing products like detergents, juices, and light bulbs. With the help of Britain's Carbon Trust, a government organization, the retailer is measuring the greenhouse gas emissions associated with each of 20 products from "seed to store." Letting consumers know how much energy it takes to create, ship, package and use the product. A simple set of numbers on a black footprint label tells shoppers how many grams of carbon or equivalent greenhouse gases were emitted as a result of bringing a product to market. It also considers the impact of preparing or using a product and then disposing of any waste. For some products it will also tell you how the carbon footprint compares with other similar products, so you can tell which has the smallest carbon footprint. Some labels will also give you tips about how to reduce a product’s footprint when you cook it, use it or dispose of it. For instance, the potato when baked uses far more energy than when it is boiled or microwaved. The carbon label has been added to four sets of products for this trial: potatoes, orange juice, washing detergent and light bulbs. For each product, a variety of different types were compared -- like chilled fresh juice with cartons of juice made from concentrate....

The Hidden Carbon Culprit

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-07-25T16:20:11+10:00

The paper industry continues to cop the brunt of the environmentalist anger when it comes to the evils of carbon emissions. Some of this is justified. But there is another CO2 monster lurking in the office. Marketers tend have a simplistic catch-cry of ‘move away from paper based communications and go on-line’. So let’s have a look at some basic facts and figures about on-line. Approximately 1.5% p.a. of power consumed in the United States goes to running the server farms. That’s over 1 GtCO2 p.a. ( 1,000,000,000 tonnes) A basic national buy of banner ads on one of Australia’s top search engines will give the advertiser over 700,000 views delivered per day. This adds up to over 7 tonnes of CO2-e entering the atmosphere every week for this simple cost effective medium. In the current uninformed, unmeasured world of marketing communications this works well for marketers as they can buy bucket loads of on-line banners and pop-ups for a fraction of the price of print. Being so cheap means there are literally millions of page views sent out that by sheer weight of numbers (and carbon) they target their specific audience. When used in a very targeted manner on-line is a very cost and carbon efficient way to market. Print needs to think about targeting and be transparent about the emissions caused by the process, unlike the silent on-line industry. The print industry does need to continue to reinvent itself in the new climate change era. It is now vital for both future cost control (carbon will have a cost and so electricity prices will rise) and reputation, to reduce waste and operate a more energy efficient business. Plus help your customers better target their communications, even if it does mean printing fewer items.

Comparing Carbon emissions

chris@gaiapartnership.com — 2008-07-25T16:18:53+10:00

With all the new terms appearing around the world of greenhouse gases it is hard to keep up. Carbon offsets, carbon trading, carbon neutral and green washing are a few of the more common that are being bandied around. When looking at the world of marketing communications it starts to get harder to know if you are doing the 'right thing'. Should I specify recycled stock for the brochure or a FSC labeled gloss paper? Or even better why not put it on-line or burn to a disk and save the rain-forest. Here is a statistic to ponder. A 24 page brochure during it's life from chain-saw to the final printed product in your hand will have emitted approximately 25 grams of greenhouse gases into atmosphere. When burning it to a humble CD it will had added 350 grams! That's 14 times the weight of CO2e adding to climate change.