Scope 3x5 Lizzie Lawlor, Customer Success Manager

Our Customer Success Manager, Lizzie Lawlor, shines a light on her path before joining Scope3, how her experiences have shaped her journey in decarbonizing digital advertising, and her unique perspective on the state of our industry.

This series offers a glimpse into the lives of the change makers at Scope3 and what’s driving them to create a more sustainable ad industry. (5-minute read)

What were your key motivations for joining Scope3?

Having worked in the advertising industry my entire career, I started to question if this was meant to be my career path long-term. I had a realization a few years ago that I needed a new challenge aligned to my values, and that I wanted to spend my working hours on something that would be a force for driving positive change. I became really interested in fixing some of the challenges our industry faces around data ethics & privacy, but I also had a growing passion for sustainability in general.

When I moved to California a couple of years ago, I came across huge numbers of startups in the sustainability space. I was motivated to get involved but found it challenging to make a complete career switch with my Adtech background. I needed to find a way to marry together my background and my ambitions.

Then I came across Scope3 and was blown away by some of the research that showed how big of an issue sustainability is in the ad industry. Needless to say, I was beyond excited to find something that enabled me to utilize my existing skillset and apply it to the global call that I was becoming increasingly drawn to. It was the intersection I was waiting for.

What’s been the best piece of career advice you’ve received?

Quite simply, progress over perfection in everything that you do.

It’s something I’ve held with me, but still struggle to apply on a daily basis. Everyone wants to strive for perfection where they can, right? As a concept, it’s extremely transferable to what we’re trying to do across the industry, looking at our collective sustainability efforts. We're all learning as we go, which means it’s often necessary to focus on taking baby steps, rather than try and make the leap to the end goal. Figuring out how to lower emissions across all different facets of the industry, even marginally, is going to have more of an impact than not doing anything at all.

I try to encourage partners and clients to think about just taking that first step towards sustainability. If we wait until we have all the answers, we’ll never see progress.

Are there any myths about the industry’s net zero goals that misguide organizations?

The biggest concern amongst our partners is that making big changes to the ways they have been operating as a business might negatively impact their existing sales goals or performance.

Implementing systemic change has historically been incredibly difficult to achieve across the digital ad industry. However, taking those first steps towards sustainability will quickly show how our partners can lower their emissions as well as unlock greater value from their investments that contribute to the business’ bottom line.

Our industry suffers hugely from a portion of wasted budget – there’s been a lack of transparency in the programmatic ecosystem that has led to the development of solutions to combat these issues. Scope3 data can be used by marketers as a powerful tool to eliminate wasted budget on low quality inventory that typically carries high-emissions, and redirect it towards higher quality, more sustainable media. That way, marketers can solve for two problems at once.

Name one lifestyle change you have made to be more sustainable.

It’s near impossible to be a perfect consumer, but every little change we make adds up. It’s all about counterbalancing. For example, I love travelling, so I make changes in my everyday lifestyle to compensate. I’ve become far more conscious about general household items. There are plenty of truly amazing brands out there that enable you to become far more sustainable at home; for example, Blueland offers a variety of eco-friendly cleaning supplies. We’ve also made an effort to replace plastic items with glass alternatives that last longer and do not contribute to microplastics.

My husband and I take public transportation or walk as much as possible. Living in a city means we have plenty of options, so we do not use our car unless absolutely necessary.

Finally, I love to buy clothes. But I've been fortunate to live in cities where vintage and secondhand shopping is a thriving culture. I try to buy as much as I can secondhand, and when I need to purchase new items, I’m very considerate about where I source them, choosing only retailers that demonstrate true commitment to sustainability efforts.

What are your favorite activities outside of work?

Whenever I can, I spend as much time exploring natural areas, including Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. I’m lucky enough to live nearby, with access to a truly beautiful natural space. The beach is another one of my favorite spots, as well as hiking trails. We have so many stunning areas in Northern California, so I’m keen to make the most of them.

Name one natural wonder that you find most awe-inspiring.

It’s hard to pick one, but I will never forget exploring the beautiful landscapes of Tanzania on my honeymoon. It’s one of the few places I’ve visited with minimal human interference. The whole country has very strict conservation laws meaning large areas are directly regulated.

Faced with a truly natural ecosystem makes you question how it could ever be wiped from the face of the planet. But we’ve already witnessed this very outcome in other regions.

During my time there, it helped to put everything into perspective. Humanity is such a tiny part of the natural world, and it’s our responsibility to work in partnership with it, not to manipulate and control it for our own gain.