Building better futures

Blue background with picture of the earth

Building better futures

WPP hosted an investor event on 30 June 2021 with experts from across the company to discuss our environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and how we are helping clients grow inclusively and sustainably


Corporate performance, investment performance and ESG issues are inextricably linked. Nearly all of our top 30 clients are putting ESG or purpose at the heart of what we’re doing for them – whether that’s automotive manufacturers moving to electric vehicles or food companies looking at their portfolios, it’s an increasingly important part of what companies need to communicate to their consumers.

If you look at climate change, racial equity, privacy and responsible marketing, we’re at the nexus of many of these issues – as are our clients. It’s important to us, and therefore it’s important that we get it right.

ESG also matters to our own people. Employees want to work for companies with whom they share the same values and they take this seriously. The fact that we share those values is how we attract the best people to do the best work for our clients.

The same is true of our clients who care about how we behave. They care that we have diverse teams – increasingly an area that they question us on. They also care that we’re thoughtful about the impact of our work with them on, for instance, the environment, hence our commitment to net zero [carbon emissions by 2025].

There’s no trade-off between business performance and our ESG strategy – they are inextricably linked. The more we live up to our purpose, the better it will be for our business.

Mark Read, CEO, WPP

Our purpose

Purpose film

Headshot of Judy Jackson, WPP's Global Head of Culture

29 Jun 2021

18:57

People: employer of choice for all

Learn how WPP is improving the diversity of its teams and building an inclusive culture

Hannah Harrison, Director of Sustainability at WPP, speaking

29 Jun 2021

15:03

Building better futures for our planet

Our net zero commitment, supply chain engagement and how we are strengthening our Scope 3 data quality

Lindsay Pattison, Chief Client Officer of WPP, speaking

29 Jun 2021

20:05

Building better futures - Clients

Why sustainability is a key decision-maker when clients choose their partners

Mark Read

29 Jun 2021

12:00

Building better futures - Communities

How WPP is building global partnerships to help tackle societal challenges

Watch the full event

Building better futures

More event highlights

Nicola McCormick, Global General Counsel at GroupM, headshot

29 Jun 2021

02:23

GroupM on data ethics

Why today’s leaders should be focusing on data ethics in our digital society

John Rogers CFO at WPP talking with a slide on the right which is titled Sustainability Committee

29 Jun 2021

03:31

Building better futures - Governance

How WPP will create a more inclusive supply chain

Richard Glasson, Global CEO at Hogarth, headshot

29 Jun 2021

03:01

Hogarth: Sustainably Made

Helping clients produce work with a net-zero impact

Headshot of Emma Massey, Global Client Leader at WPP

29 Jun 2021

02:22

Case study: World Health Organization

How a cross-agency team led life-saving work for WHO in 167 countries and more than 20 languages

Bringing our purpose to life through the work we create

Image of white man's face with words "Now is the time to be anti-racist"

29 Jun 2021

01:58

Cartwright & Grey: P&G's The Choice

A film designed to move people to take action in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd

Illustration which shows a boy and a monster standing in the rain

29 Jun 2021

02:59

BCW: Aldi's Hunger Monster

Raising awareness of child poverty and Aldi’s pledge to donate 10 million meals to families in need in 2021

Still from the HSBC advert Vicious Cycle

29 Jun 2021

02:12

WPP: HSBC's Vicious Circle

Seeking to break the cycle of disenfranchising homeless people

Picture of first inclusive deodorant bottle by Unilever

29 Jun 2021

02:52

Wunderman Thompson: Sure's (Unilever) Degree Inclusive

Introducing the world’s first adaptive and inclusive deodorant