Adtech firm Viant today released a new carbon label for digital ads.
The label, which shows up as a small green leaf in the corner of an ad (similar to the AdChoices label), communicates to viewers that the ad was powered with renewable energy as part of Viant’s Adtricity sustainability program, which launched in February 2023. Through the program, Viant buys renewable energy credits equivalent to the amount of energy used in the ad’s delivery.
“The carbon label is the idea of [bringing] transparency to the consumer … that the ad was fully powered by renewable energy and there were no carbon emissions in reaching them with that message,” said Tim Vanderhook, co-founder and CEO of Viant. “That will appeal to both the buy side and the sell side.”
Viant partners with Scope3 to measure emissions by channel and impression level, and then neutralizes that footprint through the purchase of RECs.
Clients can opt in or out of the Adtricity Supply Decarbonization Initiative, and roughly one-dozen clients chose to neutralize their ad buys through Viant’s demand-side platform last year, including agency Novus Media, which represents brands like Family Dollar and Valvoline.
“Viant has shown exceptional innovation and leadership in driving carbon reduction in digital advertising,” Rob Davis, president and chief marketing officer at Novus Media, said in a statement. “Starting with transforming client media investments into renewable energy credits, Viant has now expanded to tackle the entire supply chain’s decarbonization.”
Betting on carbon neutrality
As of 2023, Viant is carbon neutral across all three scopes of its business thanks to its investment in RECs. This means it has no impact on the scope 3 emissions of its brand partners—something Vanderhook hopes will become a competitive advantage as climate regulations ramp up and the need to curb emissions across all scopes becomes more prescient.
(Scope 1 emissions refer to those created by items that a company owns or controls, scope 2 refers to those generated as a result of purchased heat and electricity, and scope 3 emissions are generated by a company’s supply chain, employees, the use of a product or its end of life.)
“Brands seem to be slow to the prioritization of sustainability efforts through paid media,” Dave Kersey, chief media officer for GSD&M, told ADWEEK. “Perhaps Viant’s effort will create more exposure and meaning for brands to consider their role in this from a paid perspective.”