Media budgets are shaping the media landscape of the future. The media brands that support advertising customers with their media budgets will flourish in the long term. Sustainability in all dimensions - ecological, economic and social - is playing an increasingly important role. We therefore need a holistic and independent way of evaluating media according to their sustainability in all dimensions. In short: in addition to affinity, reach and price-performance, media planning needs an additional KPI as a decision-making aid to enable more sustainability in media planning. Mediaplus has initiated the first industry-wide, independent scoring system for this purpose. Media partners are evaluated independently on the basis of ESG criteria. These KPIs are incorporated into our planning and weighted individually.
What is the Responsible Media Index?
With the RMI, we are creating a unique index for benchmarking the sustainability performance of the German media landscape. To date, there is no other database that enables a comparison of media companies operating in Germany in terms of their holistic sustainability. This allows you to allocate your media investments based on ESG KPIs that are in line with recognized standards.
The RMI is calculated on the basis of the ISS ESG Corporate Rating. ISS is an international rating agency whose main owner is Deutsche Börse Group. The rating provides a comprehensive and holistic assessment of companies based on around 100 ESG criteria.
It enables the participating companies to identify gaps or optimization potential in their sustainability programs and reporting.
If you would like to find out more about the RMI, please contact us!
What data does the RMI work with?
For the comprehensive and holistic evaluation of media companies, the RMI analyzes around 100 evaluation criteria covering all areas of sustainability:
Environmental
Social
Governance
The ESG performance of a company is assessed in six areas:
How do we use this data for the media strategy?
For the Responsible Media Index, we focus on the sustainability KPIs relevant to your company, because an individual weighting of the scoring based on the company guidelines is essential to optimally support your sustainability goals. This is how we supplement the media strategy and planning with a new KPI
Criteria for media planning.
Reach
CPM
Affinity
+ ESG score
How do you integrate RMI into your media strategy?
1. ESG Audit
We audit your existing media plan according to ESG criteria. You receive information about the supply chain in marketing and media and thus a contribution to the mandatory sustainability report.
- Transparency in the media supply chain
- Risk analysis of media partners:
- Human rights
- Working conditions
- Ecological risks
- Integration of media in CSRD reporting
- Contribution of the marketing department in the area of sustainability
2. impact investing
The second step involves a detailed analysis of your media plan according to ESG criteria. You gain clarity about the media partners, their strengths and weaknesses. From this, we develop recommendations for media plan alternatives and use “The Power of Money” for development in the media market.
- Clarity about the ESG evaluation of media partners
- Optimization opportunities
3. Strategy Workshop
In a joint workshop, we take a close look at the ratings of the media partners, define threshold values together with you and develop a sustainability strategy for your marketing and media decisions. We discuss best practices from the financial world (exclusion, best in class, ESG integration)
Would you like to join us on the path to making your media strategy more sustainable? We look forward to an initial discussion with you!
Why should you use the RMI?
- Competitive advantage: Companies that adapt early and comprehensively to the regulatory requirements of the Supply Chain Sustainability Duties Act and the CSRD and develop a convincing sustainability strategy will gain a competitive advantage. Media planning can contribute to this by taking a holistic view of the sustainability dimensions.
- Impact investing: Advertisers have a major influence on the behavior of media partners with their media budgets. Those who are aware of this control function can also use their media budgets as an impact investment in addition to their own sustainability efforts. This is a real change boost and ensures a more sustainable media offering in Germany.
- Reputation and credibility: Companies that meet the new requirements and report credibly on their sustainability performance strengthen their reputation. This is particularly important at a time when sustainability is an important criterion for many consumers and investors.
Where does the data for the RMI come from?
Credibility and independence are decisive factors in determining the data we use to evaluate media companies. An independent evaluation of the media according to ESG standards is made possible by our partner company for the collection of the data: ISS STOXX
ISS STOXX GmbH is a global provider of data-centered research and technology solutions. Due to its focus on industry-specific risks, opportunities and impacts specifically for the media industry and the transparency of the final rating, we consider ISS STOXX to be the best partner.
to advance the holistic sustainability approach in the German media industry and make it operationalizable. In the 2023 “Rate the Raters 2023” survey, ISS ESG was ranked first for the quality of its ratings and second for usefulness. ISS STOXX GmbH is majority owned by Deutsche Börse AG.
Learn more about our Sustainability Intiative
We see sustainability as a holistic challenge, do you? A one-dimensional view of the ecological aspects is not enough for us. Sustainability encompasses three dimensions: Environmental, social and economic. An integrated approach to sustainability, which we develop together with you along the supply chain, can only be achieved by taking a holistic view. In addition to topics such as reducing and offsetting emissions, we therefore also deal with the sustainability assessment of all participants in the media booking process and conduct research in the field of ethical journalism.
FAQs
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is a European legislation aimed at standardizing and strengthening corporate sustainability reporting. Its goal is to ensure that companies transparently disclose the impact of their business activities on sustainability dimensions and how these are integrated into business processes. Starting with the 2025 reporting year, the CSRD will become mandatory for the majority of German and European companies.
Since January 1, 2023, the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, LKSG) has been in effect. This law is part of the government's Corporate Social Responsibility strategy and requires companies to monitor their supply chains and ensure adequate protection of human rights and environmental concerns. Initially, the law applied to companies headquartered or with branches in Germany that have more than 3,000 employees domestically. On January 1, 2024, this threshold was reduced to 1,000 employees. Companies below this employee threshold are still affected if they have contractual relationships with companies that fall under the law’s scope.
The Green Claims Directive aims to ensure transparency in the communication of the environmental benefits of a product or service. It mandates that products and services marketed as sustainable must truly meet these claims. Specifically, the directive stipulates which facts must be verified to refute or validate the claimed product benefits. The environmental benefits of a product or service must be clear and verifiable. Statements about these benefits must be understandable and precise. Claims must be based on independent scientific evidence. False or misleading statements are prohibited. As a result, the Green Claims Directive has a significant impact on brand messaging, design, and positioning.
The concept of supply chains extends across the entire value creation process of a company. It encompasses all steps required for producing goods or providing services, including purely digital products and services. Consequently, a company’s supply chain also includes the services of media agencies, which procure services and goods from media companies (media inventory). This has a significant impact on the selection of media partners. Following this logic, media houses, publishers, data providers, and global social media platforms are considered partners and suppliers within the supply chain.
The impact on media planning is multifaceted:
Increased Transparency Requirements: Regulations mandate companies to provide more detailed information about their sustainability practices and achievements. This will compel advertisers to document how they integrate sustainability into their business practices, including media strategy, planning, and buying.
Growing Demand for ESG Reporting: As regulations tighten sustainability reporting requirements, there will be an increased demand for relevant information about suppliers. Advertisers will be required to incorporate ESG metrics and reporting into their media plans to meet the expectations of investors, regulators, and other stakeholders.
Integration of Sustainability in Campaigns: Companies can incorporate sustainability aspects into their marketing and media strategies to showcase their efforts in this area. Media planning must therefore aim to increase investments in sustainable media partners.
The RMI (Responsible Media Index) is a unified scoring model launched as an open market initiative by Mediaplus Group and IPG Mediabrands. Its goal is to evaluate media companies' offerings from a sustainability perspective. The index aims to create a standardized and comparable evaluation framework for selecting sustainable media options in media planning. It enables advertisers and media agencies to plan their media investments based on KPIs aligned with recognized ESG standards.
To achieve this, a model for evaluating and benchmarking relevant media houses, publishers, public broadcasters, and social platforms is being developed in collaboration with ISS STOXX, based on selected ESG criteria. The RMI compares all analyzed media partners based on their ESG performance, creating a KPI for holistic sustainability assessment.
This scoring model is intended not as an agency-exclusive initiative but as an open market initiative shaped by all stakeholders. Alongside traditional KPIs such as reach, cost-effectiveness, and audience affinity, ESG evaluation could become a fourth KPI in the future.
We are confident that the new regulations will drive advertisers to intensify their sustainability efforts and integrate these into media planning. All market participants will therefore need to place greater emphasis on sustainability reporting and communication to meet the new requirements.
This should be done in a way that is as transparent, standardized, comparable, and fair as possible. Consequently, a shared and legally sound framework for sustainability assessment should be established, co-developed and accepted by all stakeholders.
The evaluation of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria is typically conducted by rating agencies. ISS STOXX GmbH is a global provider of data-driven research and technology solutions. The ISS ESG Corporate Rating offers a comprehensive and holistic assessment of a company's ESG performance, covering approximately 100 evaluation criteria across six areas.
Based on international reporting standards such as SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board) and GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), the ISS ESG Corporate Rating comprehensively addresses topics like climate change, biodiversity, resource intensity, human rights, payment flows to governments/taxes, data protection, and sustainability management. Additionally, the rating evaluates a company's products and services based on their social and environmental impact, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The ISS ESG Corporate Rating considers industry-specific sustainability impacts, risks, and opportunities. For each industry, 4 to 5 key topics are selected to analyze the most relevant ESG risks. Currently, the following key topics are identified for the media industry:
- Diversity, safety, and job security for employees
- Resource-efficient processes
- Responsibility toward media users and access to media
- Editorial responsibility
A distinction is made between platform operators (Google, Meta, Amazon), publishers, and pure ad space marketers (Ströer, Wall). The finalized Corporate Rating provides a transparent assessment of a company's ESG performance at an aggregated level and regarding the key topics specific to the industry.
There are several ESG rating and research agencies in the market, with the four most prominent being Sustainalytics, MSCI, S&P, and ISS ESG (a part of ISS STOXX).
Given its focus on industry-specific risks, opportunities, and impacts—especially for the media industry—as well as the transparency of its final ratings, we view ISS STOXX as the best partner to advance and operationalize holistic sustainability considerations in the German media industry.
In the 2023 "Rate the Raters" survey, ISS ESG ranked first for the quality of its ratings and second for their usefulness.
ISS STOXX GmbH is majority-owned by Deutsche Börse AG.
Sustainability is a top priority for marketers, but the specific sustainability aspects that companies prioritize can vary widely. To address this, the Responsible Media Index (RMI) translates the ISS score into media-specific logic. The RMI is built on the ISS rating and aligns it with the individual ESG goals of advertisers. Currently, the companies included in the index account for approximately 80% of Nielsen's ad spend in the market.
Advertisers receive a tailored ranking for benchmarking participating media houses, publishers, and platforms—broken down by any desired ESG criteria. Depending on a client’s priorities, different factors come into focus. As a result, the weighting of various environmental, social, or governance criteria means that the assessment of the same media mix may differ for different advertisers.
The RMI creates a unique index for measuring the sustainability performance of the German media landscape. There is currently no other dataset that enables a holistic comparison of media companies operating in Germany in terms of sustainability. This allows advertisers and media agencies to plan their media investments based on ESG KPIs aligned with recognized standards.
The Responsible Media Index (RMI) is an open market initiative launched by IPG Mediabrands and Mediaplus. The data will be accessible to all market participants, including agencies, auditors, consultancies, and clients. Each market participant will have the opportunity to negotiate their own licensing fees for usage.
IPG Mediabrands and Mediaplus are the first market players to adopt this ESG scoring solution, initially focusing on the German media industry. However, the RMI is internationally scalable to other markets. Discussions are ongoing with additional agencies, auditors, associations, and clients to further expand this market initiative.
Competitive Advantage: Companies that proactively and comprehensively align with regulatory requirements and transparently demonstrate their sustainability efforts will gain a competitive edge. Media planning can contribute to this by providing a holistic view of sustainability dimensions.
Impact Investing: Advertisers wield significant influence over media partners' behavior through their media budgets. Those aware of this steering function can use their media budgets as an impact investment, going beyond their own sustainability efforts. This is a true change-booster and fosters a more sustainable media offering in Germany.
Reputation and Credibility: Companies that meet the new requirements and credibly report their sustainability achievements can strengthen their reputation. This is particularly important in a time when sustainability is a key criterion for many consumers and investors.
All market participants must place greater emphasis on sustainability reporting and communication to meet the new requirements.
This should be done as transparently, standardized, comparably, and fairly as possible. Therefore, a shared and legally sound framework for sustainability evaluation should be established, one that is co-developed by all stakeholders. This means that media companies are not required to participate in our index, but we make it easier for them to join.
The final rating report provides an in-depth evaluation of sustainability disclosures and performance based on the standards described above. This allows the assessed companies to compare themselves with others in the industry and identify relevant areas for improvement.
Some larger, publicly listed media companies already have a Corporate Rating from ISS ESG. These companies can be included in the RMI based on their existing rating.
However, the majority of German media companies are not yet included in the ISS ESG Corporate Rating. Companies that have not yet been rated can hire ISS STOXX to assess them according to the ISS ESG Corporate Rating. These ratings will then be included in the RMI.
To support companies in preparing for the evaluation, ISS STOXX provides a list of documents that companies should publish before the assessment begins.
The ISS ESG Corporate Rating primarily relies on publicly available information (company websites, annual reports, sustainability reports, integrated reporting, publicly accessible policy papers, and certifications), which is reviewed by experienced analysts. Draft rating results are provided to the company being evaluated to verify the accuracy, timeliness, and completeness of the information.
The evaluation typically takes 6 to 8 weeks. The cost is €20,000 in the first year, and €10,000 in the second year if the company requests an updated report.
The disclosure and performance requirements for certain indicators will be adjusted for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to avoid systemic disadvantages due to financial or capacity constraints. For example, certification of management systems is generally not required for SMEs. SMEs are defined as companies with fewer than 500 employees. Additional adjustments to the disclosure and performance requirements are provided for small (<100 employees) and very small (<10 employees) businesses.
