Teads partners with Scope3 to provide carbon measurement and reporting capabilities. Scope3 data is available on every Teads Ad Manager’s campaign that has been delivered after October 1st, 2023.
Availability
The Scope3 measurement is globally accessible through Teads Ad Manager, and it is automatically activated without the need for any pre-campaign or technical configuration. Additionally, there is no associated CPM cost.
Methodology
Scope3 models the carbon emissions linked to the distribution of digital advertising. This assessment utilizes delivery data at the inventory level and creative specifications to estimate the campaign's carbon emissions.
The methodology of Scope3 is publicly documented and open source, featuring contributions from Teads. Updates to the methodology are made on a monthly basis. For further details, refer to the Scope3 documentation.
How to read a Carbon Footprint report?
The dashboard displays the following insights:
Total Carbon Emissions: This metric shows the total emissions emitted, which is displayed in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent, as well as an equivalence of these emissions (for example, the equivalent distance traveled by an airplane, for a single passenger in economy class).
Carbon Score Overview: This metric indicates the campaign’s emissions per 1,000 impressions, with a comparison to Scope3’s global benchmark.
Daily Trend: A graph showing the daily evolution of the Total Emissions, the Carbon Score, and the emissions distribution. This enables you to observe the effect of campaign optimizations.
Emissions Sources: This metric is visualized by a pie chart, which shows the campaign’s emissions into four categories:
Note: The displayed data is in the UTC timezone.
How to optimize my campaign to reduce its carbon footprint?
In order to reduce a campaign’s carbon emissions, various options are available, including:
Creative: The weight of the creative directly influences reported emissions. Teads recommends utilizing Teads Studio to reduce the creative's weight while preserving its quality.
Targeting: Targeting options can be employed to minimize a campaign's impact. Prioritizing delivery on handheld devices (Smartphone & Tablet) is recommended, as smaller screens generally result in lower energy consumption. Focusing delivery on users with WiFi connections and excluding users on Cellular connections can also decrease the campaign's impact due to lower energy consumption. However, it's important to note that these targeting options may affect reach and may not always be applicable.
Inventory: Optimize the selection of publishers in the campaign by prioritizing those who have streamlined their supply chain and align with Scope3's definition of Green Media. This strategic approach can contribute to reducing the campaign's overall impact. For further details, please contact your Teads representative.
Note: Alongside the aforementioned best practices, we recommend monitoring the carbon Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of your campaign per outcome, such as reported carbon per visit. This approach allows you to pinpoint the creative formats and campaign configurations that strike the optimal balance between carbon efficiency and performance. Carbon metrics can be easily retrieved using the Reporting UI (starting from January 1st, 2024).
Resources
The below industry bodies have released sustainability playbooks and guides outlining best practices:
Benchmarks
All benchmarks are expressed using the gCO2PM metric, meaning grams of carbon emissions per thousand impressions.
Caution: Within Teads Ad Manager, a global average value of 515 gCO2PM is employed (from the Q1 2023 Scope3 Report), encompassing all emission categories and aligning with the benchmark for display ads. However, it's crucial to note that this value may not be suitable for all campaign characteristics (e.g., CTV campaigns, which require a different benchmark).
Market Benchmarks
Benchmark values are now available on Scope3 UI. Contact your Teads Representative for an up-to-date Scope3 benchmark for your market.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no carbon data available for my campaign in the dashboard?
Why is there no carbon data available for my campaign in the dashboard?
Several reasons can explain this:
Campaign end date: Your campaign ended before Oct 1st, 2023 so there is no data to share.
Unmodeled inventory: If your campaign was delivered on inventory that is not covered by our partner Scope3's modeling, it could result in the unavailability of data.
How quickly will data be available after my campaign goes live?
How quickly will data be available after my campaign goes live?
The system fetches data for the previous day (in UTC) daily. Scope 3 data is accessible on TAM starting from day+1.
Does the carbon data encompass 100% of my campaign?
Does the carbon data encompass 100% of my campaign?
If your campaign was delivered on inventory that is not covered by our partner Scope3's modeling, it could result in the unavailability of data. You can check the percentage of impressions covered by Scope3 using the tooltip in the main widget. Usually, the coverage is above 98%. In the example below only 62.7% of the impressions are modeled. In such a case, contact your Teads representative so we can investigate.
What are the data signals used to calculate the carbon emissions?
What are the data signals used to calculate the carbon emissions?
We provide Scope3 with data on impression volumes categorized by country and media at the domain/app level. Additionally, we specify the network connection type (fixed/wifi or cellular) and share creative specifications, including the weight of loaded assets in bytes and the duration for video ads.
Is Scope3 modeling the emissions from a landing page visit following ad exposure?
Is Scope3 modeling the emissions from a landing page visit following ad exposure?
No, the existing methodology does not encompass the impact of a visit to the landing page.
Does Scope3 model cookie-based targeting differently from contextual targeting?
Does Scope3 model cookie-based targeting differently from contextual targeting?
No, the emissions arising from the utilization of data signals are not factored into the modeling. Consequently, there will be no variance in the reported emissions for the same delivery, whether using cookie-based audiences or contextual targeting.