The Independent’s Hidden Emissions: A Digital Publisher’s Bold Step Towards Net Zero

At ZeroBees, we help organisations uncover and reduce their carbon emissions — especially in complex sectors like digital media. One of the most powerful examples of this is our work with The Independent, the UK’s leading fully digital news brand.

Its journey — and the actions it’s inspired — are now shared in a compelling new podcast featuring Ashleigh Footit, Head of Programmatic and Yield Specialist at The Independent.

🎧 Listen to the podcast

From Print to Digital - Then What?

The Independent has already made major moves towards sustainability — becoming fully digital in 2016 and relocating to a greener, low-energy office. But like many digital-first organisations, it hadn’t mapped its full carbon footprint.

Without that, tracking progress or setting credible Net Zero goals wouldn’t be possible. That’s where we came in.

What We Did

ZeroBees conducted a full carbon assessment across all three scopes:

• Scope 1: Direct emissions from operations

• Scope 2: Indirect emissions from energy use

• Scope 3: All other indirect emissions, especially from the supply chain

  
  

In digital publishing, Scope 3 is typically the biggest and The Independent was no exception.

The Shock: Programmatic Emissions

The data revealed a striking insight:

More than 50% of The Independent’s total emissions came from programmatic advertising.

From server loads to bid requests and user tracking, the infrastructure powering online ads carries a heavy - and mostly invisible - carbon cost.

“It was shocking at first,” Ashleigh says in the podcast, “but also empowering - because we could take action.”

Turning Insight Into Action

The Independent didn’t stop at measurement. It is now:

• Auditing its adtech stack to identify high-impact partners

• Exploring lower-carbon media buying

• Training teams in carbon literacy

• Aligning campaign KPIs with sustainability — not just performance

  
  

These are big steps towards embedding sustainability into commercial strategy.

Why It Matters

As a major media brand, The Independent knows its actions set a precedent. By speaking openly about its carbon journey, it’s helping shift the industry conversation.

“We’re not trying to be perfect,” Ashleigh says. “We’re trying to be transparent - and improve.”

Our Take

The Independent’s approach shows what’s possible when insight leads to ownership and action. At ZeroBees, we’re proud to partner with organisations ready to lead with integrity.

📩 Want to map your digital emissions and drive change?

Get in touch at toby@zerobees.com or visit zerobees.com