Employee and channel marketing specialist Euro RSCG Skybridge is setting the standard for environmental responsibility within the marketing sector by not only achieving CarbonNeutral status, but offering CarbonNeutral products and services to its clients. 

Skybridge is the first of the worldwide Euro RSCG agencies to make this commitment and the programme has now been adopted on a national basis, positioning Euro RSCG UK as the first UK network of agencies to initiate such a move. 

Working with The CarbonNeutral Company (TCNC), Euro RSCG Skybridge will be both reducing and offsetting its CO₂ emissions. This means that for every one tonne of CO₂ produced, TCNC will invest in global projects which reduce emissions by one tonne of CO₂ (known as ‘carbon credits’). With The CarbonNeutral Company, Euro RSCG Skybridge has calculated that its CO₂ emissions will be 750 tonnes per year or around 5 tonnes for each of its 150 employees. 

Euro RSCG Skybridge will offset these emissions by supporting energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable forestry projects around the world.  Euro RSCG Skybridge has chosen the Te Apiti Windfarm in New Zealand, the Scolel le Social Forestry project in Mexico, (which also invests in regenerating the impoverished local community) and a project that reduces methane emissions from an abandoned coal mine in Pennysylvania, USA. These projects will save or absorb one tonne of CO₂ for every tonne Euro RSCG Skybridge creates to reduce net emissions to zero and make the company CarbonNeutral.

The agency’s clients will also be able to extend their existing CSR policies through to their employees and trade partners with ‘Neutravel’ and ‘Neutrevent’.  These two new products offset the carbon emissions from incentive travel and live events respectively.  For clients using one of Euro RSCG Skybridge’s Performance Improvement programmes, reward points can be converted into CarbonNeutral products, yearly carbon offset for participant’s cars and homes, or an investment in an Euro RSCG Skybridge-supported project of their choice.

Euro RSCG Skybridge Chief Executive Officer John Hackney said: “The marketing sector is a big carbon producer, so it’s important to me that, as a company, we take some responsibility, and try to address this problem. The great thing is that through our products and services we can also help our clients and their employees to tackle their own carbon emissions.”
Sue Welland, Founder and Creative Director of The CarbonNeutral Company added: “Euro RSCG Skybridge’s decision to become CarbonNeutral is a significant step for not just marketing agencies but global business in general. Not only will the Euro RSCG UK network be directly contributing to reducing CO2 emissions, the sheer scale and nature of the business means that their clients and other suppliers will be directly affected for the better.”