Sustainability and Experiential Marketing

Like everyone, on the first day back after Christmas, The Park kicked off the year with a new and exciting string of plans to head into 2024, one of which was to improve our efforts to be a more sustainable agency -  both in the way that we plan and execute our projects, and in the ways we live - individually and as a team. 

We hear a lot about Netzero these days, as most thrust all their sustainability aspirations to this one date in the future - our very own land of eco- land-of-milk-and-honey in a way. But rather than just jumping on the bandwagon, we want to be able to consciously improve our efforts while maintaining our essence as the agency we’re proud to be.

As part of our efforts to put this into action, last week, I attended the ‘Net Zero’ event hosted by Sustainability Live, which featured 75 leading Sustainability & Environmental, Social and Governance keynote speakers covering everything sustainability and NetZero strategy. 

As someone still in the early days of sustainability R&D, it was a huge eye opener in helping me understand our current climate state and sustainability plans, especially within the context of Production.

Here are some gems I picked up along the way of the two day event. Following this, I’ve put together a few takeaways from the perspective from a Production Assistant steeped in the day-to-day world of physical activations.

Sustainability might appear as a choice, but the choice is very much a luxury.

While many might not feel the urgency to act now, or might feel like they still have the option to ease into the idea of more sustainable practice. Perhaps this is because the effects of climate change are being felt by those who do not have the geographical privileges that a lot of us currently experience on a daily basis -  fair to say that many (if not all of us) are guilty of this.

The reality is, we typically don’t have to confront issues like water scarcity, wildfires, changes in land use and changes in biodiversity in day-to-day life, and so this makes it a lot easier to disconnect and prioritise what's in front of us. As a result, smaller picture pressures and demands tend to cloud our view, and our priorities are restructured as a result.  

We assume we still have the choice to act now, and that choice is a luxury. However this doesn’t also mean we won’t feel those effects -it’s simply a matter of time. At the end of the day, we will be affected. From business continuity, to our working models, to our economy, our lives will be shifted in major ways. More specifically, as a business that thrives on in-person connectivity and physical activations, this is a huge point of consideration for us.

Following on from this, Is it in suppliers, is it the way we adapt our design and logistics to suit a more sustainable delivery? Within the wider context of the experiential activation world, what gives anyone a USP in terms of sustainability? Taking the time to look into this will make a world of difference when adapting into a new age. With changes to our lifestyles, will come changes to public interests, and as a result a change in approach in the way we serve those interests, however this doesn’t imply purely negative change. 

With this in mind, sustainability intentions and strategies need to spread from end to end. Clients and suppliers need to also become more fluent in sustainability. It must become a business imperative. End product quality won’t necessarily (and should not) take a hit as far as the business and client is concerned, so across the board we should be well versed in the alternatives to the materials and practices we are currently using. 

At the end of the day, these changes will affect us collectively, and so approaching a newer, more carbon neutral chapter in our industry should really be a community effort.

Additionally, as we’re all increasingly conscious of the changes we need to make, we need to also factor in the ‘what next’ factor - what happens when we’ve reached Net Zero? The thing is, Net Zero isn’t a point of achievement or a date in the calendar, it’s a sustained way of practice. 

A lot of people talk about the road to Net Zero but only a few discuss how to maintain it . We all need to look towards climate adaptation from different perspectives; What build materials will we use? How will we adapt ways of working to align with our carbon footprint? What role will AI play in this shift? 

A way to combat this is by adapting working systems to accommodate sustainability as a key pillar in all business models. For instance, incorporating sustainability officers into the workforce, conducting regular supplier mitigations (platforms like Isla are a great help for an agency like ours) and reviews and regular sustainability evaluations are great starting points when approaching this.

As we generate, process and store data, this places massive pressure on energy usage and ultimately works against the fight towards a more carbon-neutral future. A lot of emphasis is placed on the physical adjustments we’re making, but as we continue to venture into a more digital world, the idea is to provide solutions, and not a slightly different version of the same problem.

Digital consumption is a huge player in the fight towards decarbonisation, and so improving our digital practices can be a great way of adapting to these changes.

Safe to say there has been a lot of realisation on the subject over the past week for me - the most important being that the road to Net Zero is a long one, but that shouldn't mean delaying the start of the journey. At the end of the day we’re essentially dictating the state of our industry to come, and more importantly, informing our quality of life!