News

Stephen Joseph, Group CEO at Ocean Outdoor, tells Outdoor Asia how the company’s environmentally responsible initiatives are also a powerful message to brands and audiences about their values, which in turn strengthens position in the market.

He also explains how OOH is about co-existing harmoniously within the built environment, collaborating with local authorities and urban planners to use the medium as a functional part of public infrastructure.

By N. Jayalakshmi
 

To start with, how would you define responsible OOH?

Using OOH’s creative, financial and community power to address some of society’s biggest dilemmas on both a micro and macro level.

Responsible OOH is the intentional design, placement and management of advertising that contributes positively to society, the environment and the urban landscape. This means embedding sustainability into everything we do, from how we power our screens, how we support biodiversity, and how we, as a business, work to address the wider challenges in the communities where we operate.

For us, it isn’t just about using greener materials or offsetting carbon, though we do both, it’s about working in harmony with the built environment and contributing to the places where our screens are. For example, we prioritise integrating screens
into the fabric of buildings during the design and construction phases. Where possible, we aim to make a positive contribution to the urban environment. One example is our rewilding programme.  So far, we have identified 18 existing advertising locations across our UK network that we have returned to nature by planting flora which supports fauna. Ocean Netherlands has introduced bee and butterfly hotels. These hotels are constructed around large format advertising displays that have the land capacity to support the planting of wildflowers to feed and sustain the insects.

To meet our sustainability goals, we power our screens with renewable energy, use materials that are either recycled or recyclable, and ensure our structures are built for long term durability. OOH is about co-existing harmoniously within the built environment, collaborating with local authorities and urban planners to use the medium as a functional part of public infrastructure.

Based on the Ocean experience, would you say that responsible OOH initiatives and business objectives can be compatible?

Yes. One example is our partnership with Pinwheel, a nature based carbon removal platform. An industry first initiative, since January 2024, we have pledged a percentage of our annual revenue via the Pinwheel platform to four marine based projects that remove atmospheric carbon and are helping to repair the planet’s natural
ecosystems.

Our agency partners get to vote for their favourite project, and the results are tangible. Their investment is funding the creation of new sea coral restoration projects in Kenya and Mauritius, the opening of a new frontline plastic waste centre in rural India, the protection of an estimated 300,000 turtle hatchlings and nesting sites in four countries; and funds to assess novel climate coastal carbon capture technology to transfer CO2 from the atmosphere into the oceans safely. We will continue to roll out the Pinwheel programme in 2025, working with the same four beneficiaries.

This isn’t just an environmental commitment, it’s also a powerful message to brands and audiences about our values, which in turn strengthens our position in the market.

Ocean’s net zero by 2030 target, together with our use of 100% renewable energy across all screens since 2019, assures brands that their media investments are supporting sustainable infrastructure. This alignment is not only ethical, it’s profitable.
Would you say that responsible OOH can help elevate perception of the medium among brand marketers and their agencies?

Would you say that responsible OOH can help elevate perception of the medium among brand marketers and their agencies?

Absolutely. OOH is now considered the most sustainable advertising
platform in the UK, and the impact is clear.

An in depth sustainability report commissioned by KPMG and the UK industry body Outsmart (Low Carbon, Low Power, 2024) also established that the OOH sector contributed £411million to support public services, local infrastructure, communities and employees
- representing 46% of the sector’s total advertising revenue. This level of civic contribution is unmatched by any other media.

When a brand books a campaign with Ocean, they’re not just buying impressions, they’re supporting investment back into the environment, global marine based projects and sustainable
infrastructure. That’s something to be proud of.

What do you see as challenges in making responsible OOH a business mantra for the broader industry, especially in more complex or cost-driven markets? How can these be addressed?

Initial costs and regulatory variability. It’s more expensive upfront to design-in sustainability, whether that’s using greener tech, offsetting carbon through meaningful projects such as Pinwheel,
or embedding screens into buildings rather than mounting them externally. However, we believe that the long term operational efficiencies and reputational value far outweigh those initial
investments.

Another challenge is the lack of standardisation. Different cities and municipalities have different rules, which can slow down the adoption process. That’s why collaboration with urban planners, local councils and industry bodies like Outsmart and the advertising
climate action initiative Ad Net Zero is essential.

Education is key. We are continually seeking better tools to measure and demonstrate the impact of responsible practices, not just in terms of emissions but also in terms of community value, biodiversity impact and urban improvement.

What role should other stakeholders - advertisers, regulators, and others in the OOH ecosystem - play in driving responsible OOH? Are there any markets globally where this is already happening effectively?

Advertisers should demand transparency and responsibility from their media partners and favour operators who demonstrate a clear commitment to sustainability, not just through messaging but also through direct action. Regulators and planning bodies need to incentivise responsible innovation, whether that’s through streamlined approval processes for eco-conscious installations or through local partnerships that reward community investment. 

What strikes me is how many OOH operators across different markets are meeting the challenge head on. Every week, I hear about new partnerships aimed at tracking and reducing carbon emissions across the DOOH ecosystem, from planning and production to execution and post-campaign analysis.  Increasingly,  media owners, agencies and advertisers are able to make conscious choices that minimise the environmental impact of their campaigns, all while achieving their business objectives. This outcome should make us all feel more optimistic.

This article was originally published in Outdoor Asia magazine.