NEW YORK - February 7, 2022 - The ANA (Association of National Advertisers), the 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies) and IAB have launched Ad Net Zero USA, joined by more than 50 organizations operating in the market which represents 40% of the world's ad spend. The USA chapter will be led by John Osborn, who was appointed Ad Net Zero USA Director in October 2022. Ad Net Zero USA's mission is for immediate, collective industry action to decarbonize ad operations and increase the promotion of sustainable products, services, and behaviors.

The new U.S. based group will have representation from many of Ad Net Zero's global members, including Cannes Lions, dentsu, Google, Havas, IAA, Interpublic Group, Meta, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, PubMatic, Reckitt, Unilever, WARC and WPP.

Ad Net Zero USA founding membership, alongside new organizations, is inclusive of all agency brands represented by existing global partners. It includes but is not limited to: Adlook, Arc Worldwide, Assembly, Audacy, BBDO, Cannes Lions, Cedara*, DDB, dentsu, Duration Media*, FCB, FleishmanHillard, Good-Loop, Google, Group M, Havas, Hogarth, IAA, Interpublic Group, Ketchum, Leo Burnett, McCann, MediaMath, Meta, MobileFuse, MullenLowe, Ogilvy, Omnicom, OpenX, Publicis Groupe, PubMatic, Quantcast*, Reckitt, Saatchi & Saatchi, Scope3*, SeenThis*, Sharethrough, Spark Foundry, Starcom Worldwide, TBWA, Unilever, Viant, Vox Media, Volta, VMLY&R, WARC, WPP and Wunderman Thompson.

The focus for the USA chapter will be widespread education to encourage action across the advertising ecosystem, including a continued recruitment drive for more organizations to join the USA chapter. One of its first commitments is to deliver a US-market specific version of the Ad Net Zero Training, an online training course which is designed to help all advertising and marketing services professionals understand the actions they can take to help tackle climate change. Members will also engage in working groups focused on tools and practices that drive carbon reduction related to one of Ad Net Zero's the five point action plan, including working groups focused on production and media. The Ad Net Zero USA team are planning workshops for supporter organizations on areas including ad production (via AdGreen), event production (via events specialists, isla) as well as introductory sessions to Ad Net Zero.

Amy Williams, CEO of purpose-led ad platform Good-Loop, said:

"We are monumentally lucky to be able to say that our jobs matter. By working in the advertising industry, we collectively have the power, influence and money to bend society towards a net zero future. From the products we popularize to the media we buy, our decisions matter. But we will only harness this positive potential if we have a unified mission, shared methodology and external accountability - that's why Ad Net Zero is so important and that's why I'm so proud to say Good-Loop is a member, both in the UK and now the US."

John Osborn, Ad Net Zero USA Director, said:

"The time is now to unify the advertising industry to solve one of the toughest challenges facing our industry and the world. The advertising industry has proven time and again the power of collective creative thinking and innovation which are essential in reducing carbon emissions across the entire advertising ecosystem."

David Cohen, IAB Chief Executive Officer, said:

"IAB is very proud to play its part as a supporting member in the launch of Ad Net Zero USA. IAB, together with the IAB Tech Lab, is committed to driving technological progress forward and harnessing innovation to deliver more sustainable solutions."

Bob Liodice, ANA Chief Executive Officer, said:

"The unification of efforts to reduce and measure carbon emissions is a top priority for our industry. By working with Ad Net Zero, the ANA hopes to accelerate progress among brands, media partners, and agencies toward a net zero future. The role of brands in this work is critical, as we share a responsibility together with our partners to be the driving force behind these efforts."

Marla Kaplowitz, 4A's President and Chief Executive Officer, said:

"In an ever-changing ecosystem with the need to constantly adapt and evolve, the 4A's is proud to support the U.S. launch and chapter of Ad Net Zero. The climate crisis requires businesses to take greater responsibility and more importantly, actions, through collaborating to address immediate critical needs. The only way we can truly deliver the change required is for the entire industry to work together to align on common goals, definitions and metrics to transform our future."

Simon Cook, Cannes Lions Chief Executive Officer, said:

"The US launch is very timely. This year, Cannes Lions will introduce sustainability criteria across the award entry system. This global set of information will help us create an annual benchmark for how the industry is making progress on embedding sustainability into our industry's work. The U.S. market represents 40% of the world's ad spend which is why the launch of Ad Net Zero USA is so important as we continue to make progress in tackling the climate emergency."

Any organization wishing to become a supporter of Ad Net Zero USA should contact the Ad Net Zero team via www.adnetzero.com/ad-net-zero-usa or John Osborn at john.osborn@adnetzero.com

About Good-Loop

Good-Loop is a purpose-led advertising platform that's on a mission to make advertising better for consumers, brands and the planet. The B Corps-certified company builds turnkey products for advertisers to do good at scale. Good-Loop's carbon-neutral advertising formats drive engagement by converting people's attention into donations for good causes around the world. The company's proprietary Green Media Technology also enables advertisers to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of their digital advertising. The company, which has offices in London and Edinburgh, is on a mission to make the connection between brands and consumers more meaningful by delivering respectful ads that bring real social and environmental impact, while also driving significant business and brand uplifts for advertisers. The company has raised more than $6M for charities such as Save the Children, WaterAid, Make-A-Wish, the NSPCC and WWF. Clients include L'Oreal, Nike, Unilever, Levi's, Adidas, Volvo and Mondelez. In February 2022, the company closed a Series A funding round of $6.1M, led by New York-based investment fund, Quaestus Capital Management (QCM), with additional backing from Scottish Enterprise, impact investor SIS Ventures and European ad tech fund First Party Capital, bringing total investment into the ad tech for good platform to $8.2M (£6m) since it was formed in 2016.

About Ad Net Zero

Ad Net Zero is the advertising industry's plan to help tackle the climate emergency by decarbonizing ad operations and supporting every industry to accurately promote sustainable products and services. Originally founded by the Advertising Association in partnership with the IPA and ISBA, Ad Net Zero launched its action plan in the UK in November 2020. The five-step plan aims to achieve net zero emissions in ad development, production and media placement, as well as use advertising's positive influence to help shift consumers towards more sustainable behavior. Its first non-UK territory launched in Ireland in June, followed by a global roll-out at Cannes LIONS. Ad Net Zero has seen an explosion of backing from across the industry and proudly counts support from the world's six biggest agency holding groups, media owners, tech companies, advertisers, and independent creative and production agencies. For more information, please visit www.adnetzero.com.