Did you know that an average digital marketing campaign emits approximately 71 tons of CO2? (El Hana et al., 2025) This is an emerging problem in the digital era because we rarely think of digital ads as polluting since they feel “invisible”. But why try changing this impact? Because there are regulators checking environmental claims more closely. In this article, you will learn about the carbon footprint of a digital campaign, where emissions come from, how we can measure and reduce them, and whether offsetting is enough to make a difference.
What is the carbon footprint of a digital campaign?
Let’s first define what carbon footprint is. According to the Sustainable web design blog, a carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, emitted directly or indirectly by an individual, organization, product, or activity expressed in tons of CO2 (Sustainable Web Design, n.d.). Whether the emissions are direct or indirect, it matters to the overall footprint. It concerns not only fuel burned on-site but also emissions embedded in supply chains, manufacturing and use over a product’s full life cycle. Now it is important to know that no clear universal definition has been accepted (Pärsinnen et al., 2018). Many argue about what the definition includes: which gases count, system boundaries and measurement approach. Precisely because no consensus exists, each domain must fix its own boundaries.
A campaign’s footprint in numbers
This is especially true for digital marketing campaigns. A campaign’s carbon footprint depends on the whole delivery chain, from ad servers to data centers to networks and the devices used. All those consume electricity and that consumption translates into emissions. To give you an idea of the impact of an average digital campaign: spanning video ads, search advertising, social media and programmatic display generates roughly 71 tons of CO2 which equals about 35 round trips between Paris and New York (El Hana et al., 2025). These figures fit in a bigger picture: global ICT infrastructure consumes approximately 1,500 TWh of electricity a year, around 10% of global consumption and about 2% of carbon emissions, with data centers accounting for a larger share of overall emissions (Pärssinen et al., 2018).
In short, the carbon footprint of a campaign is the overall direct and indirect emissions generated through its entire life cycle, from planning and creative production to ad delivery through data centers, networks and user devices, expressed in CO2 equivalents (Sustainable web design, n.d.).
Where do emissions come from?
The emissions of a digital campaign emerge along its entire activation chain, and they accumulate at every step rather than from a single source.
The first stage : media planning
Before an ad is launched, the agency/firm’s working time generates emissions, since a full-time equivalent day of work produces more or less 21kg of CO2 emissions. The choice of channel a firm makes matters as well, because platforms differ in energy intensity. TikTok is more energy-intensive than YouTube or Facebook for example (El Hana et al., 2025). Delivery settings (control how and where the ad is broadcast) add another dimension: WI-FI is less energy-intensive than cellular networks, smartphones generally produce less emissions than desktop computers, and the exposure schedule determines how much energy delivery will consume (El Hana et al., 2025).
Targeting is also an emission variable to consider. Each impression delivered to the wrong person results in energy spent for no result, and precise audience segmentation reduces unnecessary impressions. Finally, the tracking layer of tags, cookies and third-party analytics services attached to each campaign contributes its own server load (R-Advertising, 2026).
The second stage : content management
The format a marketer chooses for the creative weighs directly on emissions: video content and complex 3D graphics increase CO2 emissions compared with static images, and physical production activities. Activities like transportation and filming locations add considerably to the carbon footprint. Heavier banners also load more slowly, which will increase the energy consumed on the consumer or user’s device every time the ad is shown (R-Advertising, 2026 ; WE7 AI, 2026 ; Rubia, 2026).
The delivery infrastructure itself operates beneath both stages. If we follow the Sustainable Web Design methodology, this infrastructure divides into three segments: data centers, networks and user devices. Each segment is further divided into operational emissions, which come from using the equipment and embodied emissions, which come from producing it. The delivery process entails a network element, which manages data transmission and processing across the many intermediaries needed to display the advertisement, and a device element, which displays the ad in mobile apps and web browsers (Pärsinnen et al., 2018). The transmission of data accounts for a major share of the energy consumption, but it is not the largest one (Sustainable Web design, n.d.).
So which segment actually weighs the most?
At a worldwide scale, data centers produce the largest share of digital emissions. However, for one single campaign, the audience’s devices come first. They account for approximately 54% of a campaign’s footprint, compared with 24% for networks and 22% for data centers. An older version of the model, which counted hardware production as a separate segment, ends up with the same conclusion: using devices alone represents 52% of the total (Adams et al., n.d.).
This has two consequences. First, producing phones and computers is the largest single source of emissions in the model, about as heavy as the electricity they use to load the ad. Second, it confirms what the content stage demonstrated: devices drive the footprint, and the format of the ad dictates how much energy each display uses. Choosing the format is therefore the campaign team’s most important decision for emissions, and it is where the reduction strategies below should start (Sustainable Web Design, n.d.).
| Segment | Digital campaign (Sustainable Web Design) | Video Streaming (IEA) |
| User devices | 54% | 72% |
| Networks | 24% | 23% |
| Data centers | 22% | 5% |
Data from Sustainable Web Design (n.d.) and Kamiya (2020).
With this table, we can see where emissions come from and we can clearly also see that user devices remain the major source of digital emissions.
How do you measure the carbon footprint of digital campaigns?
To measure the impact of digital advertising, SRI and Alliance Digitale published a common, open-source reference framework in 2023. This section explains how it works: its approach and scope, followed by the three steps for calculating the carbon footprint of a digital campaign (SRI & Alliance Digitale, 2023).
1. The basic formula
Everything can be calculated through a simple calculation: CO2 emission = quantity consumed × emission factor. The result is then expressed in CO2 equivalents so that all greenhouse gases can be compared on the same scale through their global warming potential (SRI & Alliance Digitale, 2023).
2. The approach: measure the campaign as a service
According to their report, there are two methodologies, the “service” approach and the “organization” approach. The organization approach looks at each company’s total emissions, and the service approach follows the whole ad delivery chain from start to end. SRI and Alliance Digitale chose the service approach. This measures a campaign as a whole, up to its display on each device and it enables operational decision-making tools to reduce the impact of each campaign. The unit of measurement is therefore the campaign itself: an ad displayed on X media for a target of Y impressions (SRI & Alliance Digitale, 2023).
3. What gets counted
Any digital service relies on three aspects: users’ devices, the networks that carry the data, and the servers that store and process it. Emissions come from the life cycle of each one.
The framework further explains two phases:
- Ad space allocation: the data transfers, algorithms and bidding that allocate an ad to a placement. This contains programmatic servers (SSP; supply side platform, DSP; demand side platform), other servers and networks.
- Ad delivery: displaying the ad once it has been allocated, including the user’s device (desktop, tablet, smartphone) used to view it.
The full life cycle of user devices is included because it represents a very important share of the effect of most digital services (SRI & Alliance Digitale, 2023).
Numerous things are left out of the common base such as communication strategy, creative production, pre-delivery targeting, third-party tracking and post-click landing pages. The framework also says that it does not count the indirect effect of advertising, which is to increase consumption of the products being promoted.
4. The three steps
There are three steps to build a campaign impact measurement tool:
Step 1: collect data. In this step, we can distinguish three levels of detail:
- Level 1 (basic, can be done alone): for each format, write in the format name and category, file type, average file size, average viewing or exposure time, share of devices and audience location.
- Level 2 (more advanced, should be checked by an external provider): network type (fixed or mobile) and audience share by country
- Level 3 (most mature players): detailed data on servers and allocation mechanisms
If the firm finds itself facing missing data, the open-source database supplies default values.
Step 2: build the measurement tool. After collecting the data, you multiply it by the emission and conversion factors in the SRI/Alliance Digitale database. The tool a firm chooses can be a simple Excel file or an automated online tool if campaign volume is high (SRI & Alliance Digitale, 2023).
Step 3: use the metric. For each campaign, the firm will enter the number of impressions per format and the sales approach (programmatic or direct). They can then use the result in two ways:
- Before the campaign: to compare formats and guide the client toward lower-impact options
- After the campaign: to measure the actual impact, either to report to the client or to feed into a company-wide carbon footprint.
This tool should be updated regularly to be coherent with new formats, new statistics and feedback from its use.
How do you reduce a digital campaign’s carbon footprint?
Now that we know how to measure a campaign’s carbon footprint, let’s see how we can reduce it. To lower a campaign’s carbon footprint, the aim will be to systematically erase digital waste across the entire activation chain but without putting aside the campaign performance. Digital emissions come across multiple areas, so a structured plan is a must. According to Katherine Bialczyk (2023), marketers have to focus on four operational levers: removing ad tech bloat (excessive accumulation of software tools), simplifying creative weight, enhancing audience targeting, and optimizing lower-funnel channels.
Cut ad tech bloat
As we know, every intermediary in advertising uses energy. To improve this, firms could remove ad tech bloat which can be divided into two phases:
- Supply Path Optimization: this reduces the number of intermediaries between advertisers and publishers which can diminish emissions by 15 to 30% while improving inventory quality.
- Direct Deals: this would shift the budget towards direct publishers rather than open-marketplace auctions. This will help reduce dependence on multiple demand-side platforms, servers and bidding loops (R-Advertising, 2026).
Optimize creative weight and format
Building on the content management principles discussed above, here are the few adjustments that should be made (R-Advertising, 2026):
- Cut creative file sizes. By cutting them by 50%, it can lower emissions by up to 30% while accelerating load times.
- Prioritize static images over rich media or video when and where it is possible
- Implement dynamic creative optimization. This will only serve relevant variations.
- Make use of SVG graphics (scalable vector graphics) instead of heavy PNGs as well as writing lean code to minimize CPU load and hosting powered by renewable energy (Lewokowicz, 2023; R-Advertising, 2026; Rubia, 2026).
Target with precision
A good marketing campaign begins with a good targeting process. So, to prevent wasted impressions and useless server activity, here is what should be done (R-Advertising, 2026):
- Use first-party data to maximize advanced audience segmentation. This will help achieve from 40% up to 60% higher conversion rates with fewer impressions since the target is much more precise.
- Shift towards contextual targeting. The marketer will save energy since it requires significantly less data processing than post-cookie behavioral tracking.
Simplify lower-funnel channels
Here, we will talk about two channels: email and influencer marketing. For emails, the marketer should shift toward machine-learning send-time and frequency optimization. This will reduce overall email volume (by 20% to 30%), but it will maintain or boost revenue per email. As for influencer marketing, people in charge of contacting influencers should select micro-influencers. Why micro-influencers? Simply because micro-campaigns typically have a lower carbon footprint per conversion (R-Advertising, 2026).
Is offsetting enough?
Carbon offsets can help compensate for the environmental impact of a campaign, but they should not represent the only or primary solution. As we saw before in this article, the emissions do not only come from data centers and networks but also from the devices consumers use to view them. And as said before, the marketers can have a more important impact by minimizing emissions at the source; file sizes, formats, targeting and ad delivery.
Offsetting is only as reliable as the emissions data behind it. Estimating the emissions will always remain complex and sometimes inaccurate calculations could lead to useless spending or exaggerated sustainability claims (Kamiya, 2020). Moreover, firms have to make good operational choices that are just as important as offset purchases because of factors (such as hosting location for example) that have a notable effect on a campaign’s carbon footprint.
In our society, demand for digital media does not stop to grow currently, so relying only on offsets could bring additional costs. This can also create legal and reputational risks especially as regulators examine environmental claims closely (ESG news, 2025). Instead of depending alone on offsets, firms should put a priority on reducing emissions, measuring them, and offsetting only the ones that cannot be avoided. This approach will bring both more effectiveness and credibility.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that reducing a digital marketing campaign’s environmental impact comes down to format choice, as user devices represent the largest share of overall emissions. Marketers should thus follow the structured roadmap proposed by SRI/Alliance Digitale framework to measure the total impact, apply levers to eliminate operational waste, and use carbon offsetting as a last resort. As they apply all those, the marketers’ campaigns (carbon-efficient then) will perform better since it brings higher conversion rates.
Sustainable marketing starts with easy habits : pay attention and take the first step for your next campaign by checking the file size !
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is carbon offset?
A carbon offset is a credit that funds a project which removes or avoids CO2 (e.g. reforestation) to compensate for your emissions.
Does a lighter, low-carbon ad perform worse?
Not necessarily. Lighter files load faster, and better targeting gives higher conversion rates.
Which ad format pollutes the least?
Static images and lightweight formats (SVG), compared with video and rich media. Reason: devices make up most of the footprint, and heavier formats use more energy on each display.
Is streaming video really that polluting?
Less than headlines say: the IEA estimates about 36 g CO2 per hour, and early estimates were up to 90× too high. But volume adds up, and the electricity mix changes everything (about 2 g in France vs. about 18 g globally per half hour) (IEA, 2020).
Is there a free tool to measure a campaign’s footprint?
The SRI/Alliance Digitale framework and database are open source, so a simple Excel file is enough to start.
Can I call my campaign “carbon neutral”?
Only if you can prove it. In Canada: claims must be backed by recognized methods, with fines up to $10M (or 3% of global revenue). More information in this link : https://www.mondaq.com/canada/antitrust-eu-competition/1636488/competition-bureau-releases-guidelines-on-environmental-claims
Reference list
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El Hana N., Kondrateva G., & Martin S.L. (2025, November 14). Digital advertising and carbon footprint: How to reconcile performance and sustainability? | IAE Paris Sorbonne Business School. Retrieved Ocotber 20, 2026, from https://www.iae-paris.com/en/our-news-events/digital-advertising-and-carbon-footprint-how-reconcile-performance-and
Estimating Digital Emissions. (n.d.). Sustainable Web Design. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://sustainablewebdesign.org/estimating-digital-emissions/
George Kamiya. (2020, December 10). The carbon footprint of streaming video: Fact-checking the headlines. IEA. https://www.iea.org/commentaries/the-carbon-footprint-of-streaming-video-fact-checking-the-headlines
How to Measure Your Marketing Carbon Footprint (Step-by-Step Guide). (2026). WE7 AI. https://we7.ai/BlogPost?slug=how-to-measure-your-marketing-carbon-footprint-step-by-step-guide
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Katherine Bialczyk. (2023, February 23). Reducing Carbon Footprint in Digital Campaigns | MiQ CA. MiQ. https://www.wearemiq.com/ca/resources/blog/four-ways-you-can-reduce-the-carbon-footprint-of-your-digital-campaigns
Lewkowicz, J. (2023, September 13). W3C releases new guidelines for web sustainability. SD Times. https://sdtimes.com/webdev/w3c-releases-new-guidelines-for-web-sustainability/
Pärssinen, M., Kotila, M., Cuevas, R., Phansalkar, A., & Manner, J. (2018a). Environmental impact assessment of online advertising. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 73, 177–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2018.08.004
R-Advertising. (2026, June 7). Zero waste digital acquisition: Minimizing the carbon footprint of your campaigns while maximizing performance. R-Advertising. https://www.r-advertising.com/en/blog/zero-waste-digital-acquisition-minimizing-the-carbon-footprint-of-your-campaigns-while-maximizing-performance
Rosa Rubia. (n.d.). Reducing Digital Marketing Carbon Footprint in 2026. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://ethical-agency.com/strategies-for-reducing-digital-marketing-carbon-footprint-in-2026/
Rosa Rubia. (2026, June 21). Strategies for Reducing Digital Marketing Carbon Footprint in 2026. The Ethical Agency. https://ethical-agency.com/strategies-for-reducing-digital-marketing-carbon-footprint-in-2026/
SRI & Alliance Digitale. (2023). Reference framework for calculating the carbon footprint of digital campaigns: Step by step (Version 2). https://www.sri-france.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/SRI_Calculating-the-carbon-footprint_V2.pdf
Team, E. N. E. (2025, June 9). Canada Issues Final Guidelines on Environmental Claims to Enforce Greenwashing Rules. ESG News. https://esgnews.com/canada-issues-final-guidelines-on-environmental-claims-to-enforce-greenwashing-rules/