A new CEN Workshop is being established to develop a CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) that will identify a standardized, science-based approach for defining high-carbon goods and services in the context of advertising and commercial communications.
At present, there is no harmonized definition or methodological framework for identifying high-carbon goods and services for advertising purposes. This lack of alignment creates inconsistency for organizations seeking to align advertising estates, sponsorships, and commercial partnerships with sustainability objectives, net-zero commitments, and other climate- or health-related policies.
The absence of a shared framework represents a barrier to coherent climate policy, public procurement practices, and commercial governance across jurisdictions. In this context, the CEN Workshop will address this gap by developing clear, transparent and evidence-based criteria and processes that can be applied across diverse advertising contexts.
The resulting CWA is intended to support consistent decision-making while remaining adaptable to local or institutional policy priorities. It will complement existing sustainability management frameworks, including relevant ISO standards, established industry practices relating to permitted and prohibited advertising content, and applicable national and international legislation.
The CWA is designed as a practical tool for organizations that own, manage or control advertising estates, while also recognizing its broader implications for advertisers, the advertising value chain, and citizens and consumers.
Key standardization areas addressed by the Workshop include:
- identification criteria for high-carbon goods and services in advertising and commercial communications;
- science-based processes and methodologies to support transparent and consistent assessment;
- approaches to enable alignment with sustainability objectives, net-zero commitments, and climate- or health-related policies;
- guidance to support coherent decision-making across advertising estates, sponsorships, and commercial partnerships;
- documentation and reporting practices to promote transparency, comparability and accountability.
By providing a common European reference, the CWA will support a more coherent and evidence-based approach to the governance of advertising-related sustainability issues across sectors and jurisdictions.
The kick-off meeting of the CEN Workshop will take place remotely on 11th June 2026 from 3.00pm to 5.30pm (CEST).
All interested parties are invited to submit comments on the draft Project Plan using the commenting form below, to the Workshop Secretary, Federico Turano (federico.turano@uni.com), by 7yh June 2026.
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