Marketing & Communications

Carbon Reduction Plan for Marketing and Communications Agencies

Q: We are a small agency with five employees. Do we still need a CRP for a government contract?

If the contract value triggers the PPN 006 threshold, yes - regardless of company size. CarbonVerified is designed for exactly this situation. A small agency footprint is quick to measure and simple to document.

Q: Should we include emissions from print campaigns we produce for clients?

Only if the print costs are billed through your company (i.e. you are the print buyer). If the client buys print directly, it is their Scope 3, not yours. Where you procure print on behalf of clients and recharge it, a portion may sit in your Scope 3 as purchased goods.

Q: What does a marketing agency CRP typically look like?

For most agencies, the footprint is dominated by Scope 3 - particularly commuting, business travel, and print procurement. Scope 1 and 2 are usually modest. CarbonVerified generates a CRP that reflects this structure and sets credible reduction targets around those key sources.

Marketing agencies on government communications frameworks or bidding for NHS, local authority, and central government contracts need a Carbon Reduction Plan under PPN 006. CarbonVerified produces the compliant document - no sustainability consultant required.

Emissions sources in Marketing & Communications

Your Carbon Reduction Plan must quantify all material emission sources. Here are the typical sources for your sector.

Scope 1 – Direct Emissions

Emissions from sources you own or control directly.

Company vehicles used for client visits, productions, and events
Gas heating in leased studio or office premises (where billed to you)

Scope 2 – Indirect Energy

Emissions from purchased electricity, heat, or steam.

Office and studio electricity consumption
Electricity for production equipment, servers, and editing suites

Scope 3 – Value Chain

Indirect emissions across your supply chain and activities.

Employee and freelancer commuting to offices and production sites
Business travel for client meetings, shoots, and events
Print production procurement - brochures, point of sale, direct mail
Third-party production suppliers, printers, and event contractors
IT equipment, cameras, and production hardware procurement

Every CRP submitted under PPN 006 must meet the same six-point standard regardless of sector — covering baseline footprint, net zero commitment, interim milestones, Scope 1 and 2 data, Scope 3 disclosure, and a signed director declaration. Full CRP requirements →

Common challenges for Marketing & Communications suppliers

These are the data and reporting hurdles we see most often in this sector.

Large freelance workforce means a significant share of operational travel sits outside direct payroll and is hard to capture

Print production volumes vary sharply by campaign, making Scope 3 difficult to baseline accurately

Agencies often lease hot-desking or co-working space where energy bills are not itemised

Digital advertising infrastructure (programmatic, ad servers) generates Scope 3 digital emissions that are rarely tracked

Frequently asked questions

We are a small agency with five employees. Do we still need a CRP for a government contract?

Should we include emissions from print campaigns we produce for clients?

What does a marketing agency CRP typically look like?

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Answer a few questions about your Marketing & Communications operations. We'll calculate your baseline footprint and generate a PPN 006-compliant CRP ready to publish.

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Published, signed, PPN 006-ready

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Related tools and guides

PPN 006 Compliance Checker — check whether your existing CRP meets the standard
Carbon Reduction Plan tool — generate a compliant, publishable CRP in minutes
How CarbonVerified works — measure your full Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions

Carbon Reduction Plan for Marketing and Communications Agencies

Emissions sources in Marketing & Communications

Scope 1 – Direct Emissions

Scope 2 – Indirect Energy

Scope 3 – Value Chain

Common challenges for Marketing & Communications suppliers

Frequently asked questions

Create my free Carbon Reduction Plan

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