Fueling the future of sustainability in media

As organizations across the globe implement sustainability measures to lessen their environmental impact, advertisers are also looking to bring more sustainability to their marketing efforts. An increasing number of corporate and government commitments to achieve net zero carbon emissions has advertisers, agencies and tech companies all looking to see how they fit into the conversation. 

At 84.51°, we’re working to reduce energy usage in the media industry by cutting media and advertising waste and the carbon emissions associated with it. 

Sustainability in media industry operations

Typical corporate sustainability initiatives, especially for brands, tend to focus on areas such as manufacturing, packaging and supply chains. But media activity – and digital media in particular – is also energy intensive. Experts estimate that one million programmatic ad impressions burn the equivalent amount of carbon of a single passenger on a commercial flight from Boston to London, when considering the complete supply chain. 

As awareness grows, opportunities are emerging for the media industry to reduce energy waste and improve its overall carbon footprint. From creating more sustainable productions and outlining emissions measurement standards, to the development of an online carbon calculator to track progress, media organizations are working to improve sustainability in the industry to do their part for the planet. 

Cutting advertising waste with precision

Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM), the retail media business of Kroger powered by 84.51˚, is working to reduce the environmental impact of its advertising partners by eliminating wasted ad impressions. This commitment paves the way for retail media to make publishers and ad tech more energy-efficient through precision audiences and better-targeted campaigns.   

When ads are not seen, it’s not only a waste of the advertiser’s budget. Unseen ads waste energy and drain the capacity of servers, both of which add to a brand’s carbon footprint. To combat that waste, KPM has partnered with Scope3, a global firm that measures the end-to-end emissions of advertising, publishing and tech platforms.  

To cut down on wasted advertising, KPM uses data science to make publishers and ad tech more energy-efficient through precision audiences. Armed with KPM’s first-party shopper insights, brands can better identify which content to expose customers to and at what times, to help ensure their ads are relevant and meaningful – and therefore seen. 

As the first retail media network to align with Scope3, KPM will work with the company to measure the carbon performance and emissions associated with offsite media campaigns placed through KPM. The agreement will use Scope3 standards and methodology to measure the carbon impact of applying Kroger’s audience data to offsite media campaigns. The resulting benchmarks will help advertisers identify and avoid high emissions inventory, and eventually allow advertisers and agencies to compare the environmental impact of KPM relative to other solutions.  

Leading the way in media industry sustainability

As the media sustainability conversation grows louder, 84.51° is proud to be associated with organizations leading the industry in education, measurement and standards that will reduce carbon emissions from advertising operations. While more efficient media buys won’t solve the global climate crisis, we do believe that everyone is responsible for doing their part to reduce energy usage.