What can advertisers do about it?
Our industry really has two roles to play in this delicate dance. Firstly, we have a responsibility to ensure sustainability targets are communicated honestly and clearly. The ASA recently found environmental claims were one of the most misleading topics for consumers. So with the instances of ads banned for greenwashing tripling in a year, it’s important to hold brands accountable. Secondly, advertising significantly contributes to the footprint of an organization, so it’s our business to know what, if any, decarbonization targets we’re contributing to.
Just to give some idea of the scale, a recent study by Purpose Disruptors suggests advertising adds an extra 32% to an individual’s carbon footprint.
Brands can make significant reductions by following the five-step Ad Net Zero action plan. For example, by going veggie on production shoots, an advertiser can remove 1.17 metric tons of CO2 emissions from their footprint. By flying economy rather than business, they save more than 3 metric tons per seat.
The energy required to power digital advertising also leaves a hefty carbon footprint. A typical online ad campaign emits 5.4 tons of CO2—a third of what an average U.S. consumer produces in a year. But there are simple fixes advertisers can make that won’t impact their ad performance or cost. These include stripping down font files, testing more efficient image formats, experimenting with different file types, buying more directly, focusing on high-attention sites and filtering out carbon-intensive publishers.
For example, converting image files to SVGs can easily save 30-40% of your ad load. You can also switch your display formats from .jpg or .png files to a .webp, which can reduce the file size by 33%, while switching video to display formats can reduce emissions by up to 7.75 times.
Targets are the ambition, not the achievement
Targets are only valuable if hitting them matters more than making them. So 2025 is an important date for your calendars.
