December19 Helps Shape IPA's New Carbon Calculator for Media
A Milestone in Sustainable Media Planning
We're proud to have played an instrumental role in the launch of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)'s new Carbon Calculator — the first industry-commissioned tool designed to measure and reduce carbon emissions across the media supply chain.
Developed in partnership with Ad Net Zero's Global Media Sustainability Framework (GMSF), this tool represents a turning point for the industry. It offers agencies and advertisers a standardised, transparent way to assess the environmental footprint of their campaigns.
Why a Media Carbon Calculator was Needed
Advertising may seem intangible, but the media supply chain has a measurable environmental impact.
From the energy required to broadcast television spots to the data centres powering digital campaigns, every impression comes with a carbon cost.
Until now, agencies and brands have faced fragmented, inconsistent approaches to calculating these emissions — making it difficult to compare, benchmark, or take meaningful action.
The IPA Carbon Calculator addresses this gap by providing a reliable, consistent methodology aligned with internationally recognised standards, including the IPCC framework and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
How the Calculator Works
The tool enables agencies and their clients to calculate emissions across the six major media channels: TV, digital, print, audio, outdoor, and cinema.
It delivers:
Comprehensive calculation — a unified method to estimate campaign footprints across all channels.
Industry-wide standardisation — ensuring comparability across agencies, advertisers, and platforms.
Transparency and accountability — enabling brands to back up sustainability claims with verifiable data, not just good intentions.
Support for Ad Net Zero's Action Plan — directly contributing to the goal of cutting emissions from media planning, buying, and distribution.
The tool's technical partner, Good-Loop, has ensured the calculator is practical and user-friendly.
Their "Easy Ingestion Technology" means agencies can upload campaign data in whichever format it exists and still receive consistent results.
December19's Role as a Pilot Agency
As one of the IPA Media Climate Charter agencies selected to take part in the pilot phase, December19 has contributed directly to shaping the tool.
Our involvement has been recognised by the IPA as "instrumental" in ensuring the calculator is practical for real-world use.
By testing the methodology, providing feedback on integration, and stress-testing outputs against live campaigns, we've helped the IPA and Good-Loop refine the tool into something scalable and effective.
For us, the motivation is straightforward: sustainability is not optional. As an independent media agency, we believe in delivering campaigns that are not only effective but also responsible — for our clients, for audiences, and for the planet.
A Step Towards Industry Transformation
The IPA Carbon Calculator will enter its pilot phase before the end of 2025, with full rollout to other Charter-supporting agencies in 2026.
In parallel, the IPA and Ad Net Zero are working on an international coalition to support the development of region-specific versions of the calculator, broadening its impact globally.
This is more than a compliance exercise. By adopting the calculator, agencies and advertisers can:
Benchmark their carbon performance against industry standards.
Make data-driven decisions that balance effectiveness with sustainability.
Demonstrate accountability to stakeholders, customers, and regulators.
Stimulate competition across the media ecosystem to deliver the most sustainable — and effective — options available.
As Nigel Gwilliam, Director of Media Affairs at the IPA, put it:
"It's not just a technical nicety, it underpins trust, enables comparability, and supports regulation and climate commitments. Crucially, it helps the industry act meaningfully rather than just symbolically."
Looking Ahead
At December19, we're committed to working with our peers, clients, and industry partners to embed sustainability into everyday media planning.
The Carbon Calculator is a critical enabler of that ambition — turning principles into practical actions that drive positive change.
We encourage all agencies and advertisers to explore the IPA Media Climate Charter and join us in making sustainability central to how our industry operates.