For direct buys, ad selection accounted for just 1% of overall media-related emissions, while broadcast was 66% and the user device was 33%.
“The journey which I am on, in terms of becoming more carbon neutral, I also want my partners to be in that journey,” said Prasad Ghag, global head of media, digital and strategic planning at Sanofi. “Cedara helps to analyze that—like what actions is this partner taking in order to be on the journey of net zero?”
Standards coming next month
GARM (the Global Alliance for Responsible Media), which has been working on establishing standardized language and measurement around media decarbonization, will release those guidelines next month at the Cannes Lions Festival. Cedara plans to align with those standards, allowing a more seamless side-by-side comparison between different media and tech partners that touch digital ads.
“This report is evidence that the source of emissions in a digital ad campaign’s value chain cannot be undermined or neglected when it comes to enterprise-level environmental efficiency work,” Dimitris Beis, data analyst and sustainability manager at IAB Europe, told ADWEEK.
This is the first report from Cedara and includes only percentages. The company plans to release regular reports moving forward, some with hard numbers related to carbon data, diving further into “what media emissions look like across the business and specific activities,” Shaw said.