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Share on XWhat is sustainability measurement?
Sustainability measurement is the practice of measuring, campaigning, and optimizing while minimizing the amount of CO2 or other harmful emissions caused from marketing efforts. While you may not think tech companies play a role in the climate crisis, a single ad campaign is capable of releasing 70 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions. This number comes from the energy consumption of various digital practices — ad production and delivery, media buying, and campaign optimization.
With 94% of consumers believing that brands should play a role in advocating for environmental causes, it’s more important than ever to align with your Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals and advocate for the environment.
Why does sustainability measurement matter?
In February 2024, atmospheric CO2 concentrations skyrocketed to 424.55 parts per million (ppm) — resulting in a 15% increase in average levels compared to February of 2000. The climate crisis is ramping up, and sustainability is a priority and a collective responsibility for all. The Carbon Trust estimates that the average digital ad campaign emits around 5.4 tons of CO2, equivalent to the annual emissions of a single car.
It’s crucial for marketers to invest in the health of the environment, as creating sustainable solutions creates a sustainable industry.
Do consumers care about sustainability?
Consumer awareness of the climate crisis is reaching new peaks as their focus shifts towards companies they interact with — in fact, 78% of consumers say that a company’s environmental practices influence their decision to shop with them. Furthermore, 76% of consumers report that they are more likely to feel favorable towards brands that advocate for environmental causes, and nearly four-in-10 consumers plan to choose brands that have sustainable practices.
The carbon footprint of digital advertising
Digital advertising, much like other digital activities, relies heavily on data centers, servers, and the energy required to power them. These data centers are the backbone of the internet, hosting websites, storing data, and serving ads to billions of users. According to a report by Greenpeace, the global IT sector, which includes data centers, is responsible for approximately 7% of the world’s electricity consumption. This consumption translates into a significant amount of carbon emissions, especially if the energy used is sourced from fossil fuels.
Energy consumption in digital advertising:
- Data Centers: These facilities run 24/7, requiring massive amounts of energy to power servers and cooling systems. Each digital ad impression involves data processing, which cumulatively leads to substantial energy use.
- Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): CDNs ensure ads load quickly and efficiently across the globe. These networks consist of distributed servers that also consume significant energy.
- End-User Devices: Every time an ad is displayed, energy is consumed by the user’s device, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
But there’s good news. Companies can mitigate the environmental impact by measuring the sustainability of their ads. Being aware of your business’s digital footprint and making efforts to decrease carbon emissions can raise the reputation and value of your messaging, decrease financial costs and inefficient spending, and create new opportunities for ad placement and optimization.
Let’s take a closer look.
A data-driven view of reducing carbon emissions in digital advertising
Using Total Visibility data, IAS compared carbon emissions and business results across made-for-advertising (MFA) sites, ad clutter sites, and quality publishers to understand if emissions and results correlate. Advertisers running ads on MFA sites saw larger carbon footprints, lower clicks and conversions, and had half the success rate as advertisers running on quality media sites.
Simply put, lower carbon emissions aren’t just good for the environment — they’re good for your bottom line.
Here’s what we found.
MFA and ad clutter sites are higher polluters than quality media sites
MFA sites often run instant auctions of ad inventory than websites with typical ad loads, which can lead to higher carbon emissions. Advertising on MFA sites increases carbon footprint exponentially, harming advertisers’ carbon reduction goals. By advertising on quality sites, advertisers can decrease carbon emissions by 73%.
Higher polluters have less than half the success rate
Sites that rely on energy intensive practices to serve impressions, like MFA and ad clutter sites, result in fewer clicks and conversions. Publishers with lower carbon emissions had a 57% higher success rate than advertisements on MFA and ad clutter sites.
Higher polluters have over three times the cost-per-conversion
Optimizing toward publishers with lower carbon footprints can improve business results. Publishers with lower carbon emissions had 67% lower cost per conversions, which translates to $11.19 less per conversion than high polluters.
IAS's AI-powered MFA solution can help brands lower brands’ carbon footprints
IAS’s advanced machine learning and real-time data analysis detect and block MFA sites on a large scale. Unlike static site lists, IAS’s solution combines supply chain data with site characteristics, allowing for dynamic and intelligent identification of MFA sites. This ensures your ad campaigns run efficiently, reducing waste and improving media quality.
By leveraging IAS’s MFA detection and avoidance, advertisers gain unparalleled control over their campaigns. Optimizing against MFA sites can reduce wasted ad spend and aid in lowering the overall carbon footprint of your advertising efforts.
Reach your sustainability goals with IAS, Good-Loop, and Scope3
The future of digital advertising must include a stronger focus on sustainability. As awareness of the environmental impact of digital activities grows, consumers and businesses alike will increasingly demand greener practices. The digital advertising industry has the opportunity to lead by example, integrating sustainability into the core of advertising strategies.
At IAS, we remain committed to making a positive impact, not only for our customers but also for the broader global community. That’s why we offer seamless and sustainable carbon emission measurement through our integrations with Good-Loop and Scope3’s carbon emissions reporting.
With these partnerships, advertisers can seamlessly opt-in to carbon emission measurement to track and view the end-to-end carbon footprint of their digital ads alongside metrics such as brand safety, fraud, and viewability. It’s never been easier to invest in your planet by investing in the right sustainable solutions.
How it works
- After opting into the carbon emissions measurement, IAS securely shares non-identifiable campaign data with Good-Loop and/or Scope3
- Good-Loop and/or Scope3 calculates carbon emissions through proprietary methods
- IAS provides campaign-level carbon emission metrics in the IAS Signal UI
IAS is here to help you simultaneously reduce carbon emissions and drive superior results on quality publishers. Contact an IAS representative today to learn more about reducing your CO2 campaign emissions and making a positive impact.
