Wavemaker UK Makes Use of Upcoming GroupM Carbon Calculator and Inclusive Planning Default Standard for All Clients

Wavemaker UK has announced that from 2023, the upcoming new GroupM Carbon Calculator and inclusive planning will be applied as standard to every plan the agency delivers for its 100+ UK clients.

The pledge is part of the agency’s commitment to delivering work that has a positive impact in the world and will see clients asked to opt out if they do not wish to have their plans optimised in the most sustainable and inclusive way. 

From January, the agency’s award-winning inclusive planning approach and the GroupM Carbon Calculator will be applied to every plan Wavemaker UK produces and the application of that output; diverse audience insights to plans and the carbon emissions of each plan, together with strategies to reduce or offset that carbon, will be included as standard in their recommendations to clients. 

The pledge aims to drive mass awareness of the industry’s current carbon impact, so as to expedite a move towards a reduction-first approach, and is aligned with GroupM’s global framework for measuring and reducing carbon emissions and WPP’s commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions in its operations by 2025 and across its entire supply chain by 2030.

While many of Wavemaker’s clients already benefit from inclusive planning and champion carbon reduction and offsetting, the industry-first move is designed to make it easy for all to ensure their marketing does not overlook diverse communities or contribute to the climate crisis.

Kelly Parker, CEO, Wavemaker UK said: “When it feels like the world is lurching from crisis to crisis at unprecedented speed, it’s easy to default to short-term thinking and let the urgent get in the way of the important. 

At Wavemaker, we believe there’s a better way to grow.  Our goal is to deliver unrivalled work that moves people and has a positive impact in the world. And that means we have a responsibility to make our work work for all. 

Applying this positive impact lens to our work is not just a moral imperative, it also drives results. We’re already seeing huge paybacks for clients who’ve championed inclusive planning or invested in our eco-effectiveness model to minimise carbon impact without compromising sales. We hope that by making them the default standard, we make it easier for our clients to play their part.”

Chris Ladd, Head of Media, Nationwide added: “We’re proud that as pioneers of inclusive planning, we’ve been able to work with Wavemaker to enhance our planning processes, resulting in significant investment to communicate more with diverse audiences.  The commercial opportunity with these audiences is vast and we are seeing improved business outcomes as a result. Most importantly however, inclusivity is now baked into our advertising strategy, not an add-on. I’m very proud to see Wavemaker galvanizing others in the industry to follow suit.”

“And given Nationwide is part of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, it is vital that our media activity is optimised to ensure minimal impact on the environment. We have taken steps with Wavemaker on this already, and are thrilled to see them, as our media agency, leading the change in greener, more sustainable media planning across their business and clients.”