Glossary of Carbon
Measurement Terms

Carbon calculation method using actual infrastructure data — server locations, device types, ad formats, and energy grids — rather than spend-based proxies. This approach delivers significantly higher accuracy, reaching 99.2% precision compared to the wide variance (up to ±450%) typical of spend-based estimation methods.

Industry initiative dedicated to reducing the carbon impact of advertising to real net zero. Ad Net Zero brings together advertisers, agencies, media owners, and tech platforms to drive decarbonization across the sector. It publishes the GMSF (Global Media Sustainability Framework), the leading standard for measuring advertising emissions.

Programmatic buying strategy that incorporates carbon intensity data into bid decisions. By favoring lower-emission inventory — based on geography, time of day, device type, and supply path — advertisers can reduce their campaign carbon footprint while maintaining performance KPIs such as viewability, completion rates, and conversions.

Metric expressing the carbon footprint of a single ad impression in grams of CO2 equivalent. Carbon intensity varies significantly depending on the ad format, device type, geographic location, energy grid mix, and time of day. It serves as the foundational unit for comparing and optimizing emissions across campaigns and channels.

European Union directive requiring large companies to report on their environmental impact, including Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, starting from fiscal year 2025. Advertising carbon falls under the ESRS E1 climate change standard. CSRD significantly expands the scope of mandatory sustainability disclosure in Europe and affects any company meeting the applicable thresholds.

Google's quality evaluation framework used to assess the credibility and value of web content. E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust. It is particularly important for content in YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) categories, which includes sustainability, compliance, and environmental reporting topics.

The reporting standards adopted under the CSRD framework. ESRS E1 specifically addresses climate change disclosure requirements, including Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. Organizations subject to CSRD must follow ESRS to structure and report their environmental performance, including emissions from digital advertising activities.

The world's most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards, providing the Scope 1, 2, and 3 framework adopted by major regulations including CSRD, SEC climate disclosure, and California's SB 253. The GHG Protocol establishes the methodology for organizations to measure, manage, and report their greenhouse gas emissions consistently across borders and industries.

Industry standard developed by Ad Net Zero and GARM for measuring carbon emissions across the digital advertising supply chain. Version 1.2 covers display, video, social, CTV, DOOH, and audio formats. The GMSF provides a unified methodology that enables consistent, comparable emissions measurement across publishers, platforms, and advertisers worldwide.

International standard for greenhouse gas accounting, reporting, and verification at the organization level. Part 1 covers the quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals. Carbon Intelligence™ aligns with ISO 14064-1 to ensure that its measurement methodology meets internationally recognized audit and verification requirements.

Ratio measuring data center energy efficiency, defined as total facility energy divided by IT equipment energy. A PUE of 1.0 means all energy is used for computing; typical values range from 1.1 to 1.6. Lower PUE translates directly to less carbon per computation, making it a critical variable in activity-based advertising emissions models.

California law requiring large companies with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion that do business in California to disclose their Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions. SB 253 extends the reach of mandatory climate reporting in the United States and makes Scope 3 disclosure, including advertising emissions, a legal requirement for qualifying entities.

Three categories of greenhouse gas emissions defined by the GHG Protocol. Scope 1 covers direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from purchased energy. Scope 3 encompasses all other indirect emissions across the value chain, including digital advertising, which falls under Category 1 (purchased goods and services) and Category 3 (fuel- and energy-related activities).

Estimation method that calculates carbon emissions by multiplying media spend by industry-average emission factors. While simple to implement, spend-based measurement is imprecise and produces highly variable results. It is not recommended for CSRD compliance or strategic emission reduction, as it cannot reflect actual infrastructure-level differences between campaigns.

Technique to reduce carbon emissions in programmatic advertising by selecting shorter, more efficient supply paths. Carbon-focused SPO eliminates unnecessary intermediaries between the advertiser and the publisher, reducing the number of servers, auctions, and data transfers involved in each impression. Fewer hops means lower energy consumption and a smaller carbon footprint per delivered ad.