Purpose Disruptors Report Offers Blueprint for Advertising to Manage Climate Risk

A new flagship report from non-profit Purpose Disruptors, Beyond the Chaos, Ahead of the Curve: How Smart Organisations Are Derisking in Turbulent Times, reveals how leading advertising agencies are applying cutting-edge climate frameworks to future proof their businesses and thrive within planetary boundaries.

Over the past year, Purpose Disruptors convened more than 30 senior practitioners in a specialist working group to stress-test Oxford Net Zero and Race to Zero’s Serviced Emissions Framework – a leading set of six action areas designed to help professional services, including advertising and PR, measure, manage, and reduce the emissions linked to their client work. These sectors collectively represent 11% of the global economy.

The resulting insights show how agencies can identify climate exposure, build resilience, and unlock new opportunities in a rapidly changing economy.

At current projections, the world is on track for 3°C of warming, far beyond safe limits for human and economic systems. Clean water, fertile soil, stable weather, and biodiversity are the foundations of global trade. Over half the world’s businesses rely on these natural systems. Climate-related trade disruptions already cost the global economy $122 billion annually when knock-on effects are included. The report outlines that advertising carries a unique exposure: advertising agencies don’t just depend on these systems - they influence the demand that accelerates their depletion.

“The industry is dramatically underestimating its climate risk. Climate impacts are already decimating key crops such as coffee, cocoa and oranges. If your coffee, chocolate or orange juice client doesn’t have much product to sell, or the price is sky high, they’re not going to advertise. It is the responsibility of the board to be aware of these risks and plan accordingly,” said Jonathan Wise, co-founder, Purpose Disruptors.