Scope3 Drives 70% Reduction in Publisher’s Average Emissions

As publishers balance consumer experiences with advertiser opportunities, new ways have emerged to make ad inventory stand out while increasing the efficiency of their monetization efforts. Most notably, the shift toward ‘green,’ or sustainable, media.

Over the last 18 months, emissions data has revealed digital advertising’s massive carbon footprint. Now publishers (and the industry as a whole) are adopting tools to help measure and understand their carbon footprints and minimize their environmental impact. But can meaningful reduction happen without negative impacts on publisher revenue? The data speaks for itself: green media is good for business.

In 2023, a top 100 global publisher (based on traffic) kicked off an engagement with Scope3 that proved this concept.

The goal

Working with Scope3, the publisher sought to evaluate its digital media, better understand its carbon emissions, and implement changes that would both reduce the emissions of its primary domains and establish the business itself as a more efficient media property — all while maintaining revenue.

Before thinking about reduction and optimization, Scope3 used its emissions model to deliver a baseline measurement of the publisher’s carbon footprint from advertising. The initial results (measured in Q2 of 2023) showed there was room for improvement – the publisher’s ad emissions as measured by Scope3 averaged 366gCO₂PM, which was 2x higher than the median emissions for US publishers at the time.

Diving deeper into the data, it was clear that ad selection was the main source of emissions, contributing 87% of the company’s overall footprint. When overlaying the emissions data with campaign data, there were clear monetization paths and ad tech intermediaries within the supply chain driving little to no revenue yet generating a high amount of carbon emissions.

The solution

The publisher’s ad ops team and Scope3 embarked on a collaborative effort to optimize their advertising supply chain. The primary objective was to uncover opportunities to reduce their emissions footprint and enhance overall efficiency. Achieving this required two key phases: accurate measurement and reduction.

Phase 1: Ensure Accurate Measurement

Using granular and dynamic data is essential to getting an accurate representation of a publisher’s baseline ad emissions and track progress over time. The ad ops team worked with directly with Scope3 to review and improve how the publisher’s supply graph was being modeled.

The process included making refinements to their public ads.txt files, such as the removal of inactive lines and the addition of explanatory notes. They also worked with their suppliers to ensure alignment between sellers.json files and ads.txt listings. This ensured Scope3’s emissions model had the most accurate measurement of the company’s online footprint.

Tip from Scope3: Ads.txt maintenance — While not the only emissions factor, it's important that publishers maintain an accurate and updated ads.txt file. The ads.txt file is one of the true controls a publisher has for limiting resellers outside of specifically requiring that SSPs shut off all reselling. SSPs shouldn't be selling inventory they aren't authorized to sell and DSPs shouldn't be buying unauthorized traffic.

Phase 2: Take Action to Reduce

Once a baseline was accurately defined, the real reduction work began. Scope3 helped the ad ops team uncover opportunities to optimize their ad stack and lower emissions.

During this phase, the ad ops team engaged with each of their demand partners to evaluate each supply path and determine which ones were not adding significant value relative to their carbon footprint. Some relationships were not worth the carbon cost, and directness ultimately played a big role.

Upon completing the evaluation process, the ad ops team cut 49% of their main property’s ads.txt lines and 63% of another domain’s ads.txt lines between Feb and Nov by:

• Strengthening direct relationships with key revenue driving partners
• Removing indirect paths to the same partners with direct relationships
• Eliminating paths that didn’t meet the company’s enhanced publisher revenue/emissions threshold

The results

Scope3’s work with this publisher and their ad ops team led to an impressive 70% decrease in the publisher’s average emissions from advertising, improving from an initial 366 gCO₂PM to 113 gCO₂PM in the US. Making these adjustments reduced emissions while also delivering two key business benefits: renewed health of the ad stack and deeper partner relationships, all while delivering no negative impact to revenue as a result of streamlining partners.

What sets this accomplishment apart is its enduring impact and example for industry best practices. Rather than being a one-time initiative, the publisher has institutionalized emissions consideration within their operational framework.

What changed in the publisher’s strategy around authorized sellers?

• A regular review of direct and indirect sales relationship an evaluation of carbon emissions in relation to revenue generation
• A new cadence of regular reviews implemented to ensure continued compliance and progress in reducing emissions on an ongoing basis