This privacy policy explains how The Planet Brief collects, uses and protects reader information, including newsletter data, analytics, cookies, advertising technologies and contact messages.
Last updated: June 2026
Who we are
The Planet Brief is an independent sustainability publication published at theplanetbrief.com. For privacy questions, email hello@theplanetbrief.com.
Information we collect
Newsletter signups. If you subscribe to the newsletter, we collect your email address and any signup information needed to manage the subscription. This may include the page where you subscribed, referral information and email delivery status.
Contact messages. If you email us, we receive the information you choose to send, such as your email address, name, organisation, message and attachments. We use that information to respond, review corrections, manage enquiries and handle publication-related administration.
Site usage data. We use privacy-friendly analytics tools to understand how readers use the site, which pages are read, where technical errors occur and whether the site is working properly. This helps us improve articles, navigation and site performance.
Technical data. Like most websites, hosting, security and analytics services may process technical information such as IP address, browser type, device type, pages requested, timestamps and error logs. This is used for security, abuse prevention, performance monitoring and troubleshooting.
Cookies and similar technologies
Cookies are small files placed on a device by a website or service provider. Similar technologies include local storage, pixels and tags. The Planet Brief may use these technologies for the following purposes:
- Essential site functions: keeping the site secure, remembering basic preferences and supporting newsletter or member functionality.
- Analytics: measuring aggregate page views, traffic sources, reading patterns and technical performance.
- Advertising: serving, measuring, limiting and improving advertising where advertising is active on the site.
- Embedded or external tools: supporting embedded calculators, social links, affiliate links or third-party resources when a reader chooses to interact with them.
You can manage or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect newsletter signup, embedded tools or other site functions.
Analytics
The Planet Brief uses analytics to understand site performance and reader demand. Current analytics tools may include Plausible Analytics and Cloudflare Web Analytics. These services are designed to provide aggregate usage information rather than build advertising profiles for The Planet Brief.
Analytics helps us see which topics readers find useful, whether pages are loading correctly, and whether the site has technical issues. We do not use analytics data to identify individual readers unless required for security, abuse prevention or troubleshooting.
Advertising and Google AdSense
The Planet Brief may show advertising, including ads served through Google AdSense. Google and its advertising partners may use cookies, device identifiers or similar technologies to serve ads, measure ad performance, prevent fraud, limit how often ads are shown and, where permitted, personalise ads.
Google may use the DoubleClick cookie or similar advertising technologies when ads are served on this site. You can manage Google ad personalisation at Google Ads Settings. You can read more about how Google uses information from sites and apps that use its services at Google's partner sites policy and more about advertising technologies at Google advertising policies.
Where legally required, readers may be asked to consent to advertising cookies or similar technologies before personalised advertising is used. If consent is not given, advertising may still be shown in a non-personalised or limited way depending on the settings and laws that apply.
Newsletter
When you subscribe to The Planet Brief newsletter:
- We use your email address to send articles, briefings and occasional publication updates.
- We do not sell subscriber email addresses.
- We do not add people to the newsletter just because they emailed us.
- You can unsubscribe at any time using the link included in newsletter emails.
- We may use delivery and engagement information to understand whether emails are reaching subscribers and whether newsletter formats are useful.
Affiliate links and external sites
Some articles may include affiliate links, sponsorship references or links to related projects. If you click an affiliate link, the destination site or affiliate network may use cookies or similar tracking to attribute a referral. Our disclosures page explains how commercial relationships are handled editorially.
The Planet Brief also links to external websites including official sources, regulators, standards bodies, research reports, product pages, The Carbon Workbench and Prospereco. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or policies of external websites.
Service providers
The site relies on third-party providers to operate. These may include Ghost for publishing and newsletter member management, Cloudflare for DNS, security and analytics, Railway for hosting, email providers for inbox delivery, analytics providers, advertising providers, affiliate networks, payment platforms and support tools.
These providers process data only as needed to provide their service, protect the site, deliver emails, measure performance, support advertising or handle reader interactions.
How we use information
We use reader information to operate the site, send newsletter emails, respond to messages, maintain security, improve content, understand readership, manage commercial disclosures, meet legal obligations and keep accurate publication records.
We do not sell reader data. We do not use private reader emails as advertising copy. We do not publish contact messages without permission unless required by law or necessary to protect the site from abuse.
Data retention
Newsletter data is kept while you remain subscribed or while needed for suppression, compliance or delivery records. Contact messages may be retained while an enquiry is active and for a reasonable period afterwards. Technical logs are retained for security, diagnostics and hosting purposes according to the retention practices of the relevant service providers.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to the use of your personal data. You may also have the right to withdraw consent for certain uses. To make a request, email hello@theplanetbrief.com.
Children
The Planet Brief is not directed at children and does not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact us so we can review and remove it where appropriate.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the site, newsletter, advertising setup, analytics tools or legal requirements change. The date at the top of this page shows the latest update.
Contact
For privacy questions, data requests or concerns about this policy, email hello@theplanetbrief.com.