Context

In June 2024, Ad Net Zero (ANZ) and the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) announced the release of a first industry-wide framework for calculating emissions that occur in advertising. This Global Media Sustainability Framework (GMSF) is the the result of a year-long process across the industry leaders aligning on best practices and recommendations.

For further context, please see the official WFA announcement here.

What has been included in the GMSF model on the Scope3 platform?

The GMSF model on the Scope3 platform has been built to show the boundaries, steps, and substeps included in the measurement of media emissions as outlined in the framework. The model does not yet include the GMSF formulae or data sources as these are either incomplete, unavailable or lacking default values. The formulae and data sources currently applied to the GMSF model are the same as in the Scope3 Classic framework.

How does the Scope3 Classic emissions framework align with the new GMSF V1?

Below are two tables explaining the alignment of the Scope3 emissions framework to the GMSF. The first table is a simple overview of what is currently excluded and included in both (with the addition of the SRI/AD framework for context), and the second table is a detailed breakdown of how the two frameworks map to one another in our UI.

Framework comparison of Scope3 Classic, GMSF and SRI/AD

Scope3 Classic and GMSF Mapping table

Detailed descriptions of GMSF sub-steps

Creation

Tech Manipulation

Creative Storage

Represents emissions originating from the storage of the Ad Creative assets in Ad Servers and/or on CDN servers. The Ad Creative assets include all stored assets: videos, images, javascripts, 3D models, fonts, etc., as well as different file versions generated to adapt delivery of content to context. This includes direct energy consumption by the storage infrastructure, as well as the hardware's embodied emissions (manufacturing and end of life emissions). Coming soon.

Creative Transcoding

Represents emissions from server processing for the creation of multiple asset formats or other modification of the creative product for the purpose of distribution. Coming soon.

Distribution & Consumption

Ad Space Selection

Creative Selection and Placement

Represents a portion of corporate emissions resulting from the time and resources required for campaign planning, including inventory selection across creative assets. Coming soon.

Targeting

Represents the emissions from the information collection, processing, and filtering from data providers.

Including but not limited to: user or context qualification, data analysis and processing to use demographic, interest, behavioral, contextual, or keyword data to deliver ads to a specific audience or within relevant contexts. This process may be done through first-party or third-party data, and includes direct power consumption for the processing, as well as embodied emissions associated with the infrastructure manufacturing, and end-of-life. Coming soon.

Servers

Represents the emissions from servers processing requests, auction mechanics, and decisioning as part of real-time bidding or direct sale activity. The calculations include both the use phase (direct power consumption for the processing) and the embodied emissions (emissions associated with the infrastructure and end-of-life) for this activity.

Networks

Represents the emissions from network data transmission during the real-time bidding or direct activity. The calculations include both the use phase (direct power consumption for the processing) and the embodied emissions (emissions associated with the infrastructure and end-of-life) for this activity

Ad Creative Delivery

Servers

Represents the emissions from ad servers or content delivery network in the processing of an ad delivery. The calculations include both the use phase (direct power consumption for the processing) and the embodied emissions (emissions associated with the infrastructure and end-of-life) for this activity. Coming soon.

Networks

Represents the emissions from network data transmission in transferring the ad from an ad server or content delivery network to the user’s network. The calculations include both the use phase (direct power consumption for the processing) and the embodied emissions (emissions associated with the infrastructure and end-of-life) for this activity.

Device Display

Load

Represents emissions originating from the user device receiving data for an ad creative, including device’s energy consumption for data transfer and device’s embodied emissions (manufacturing and end of life emissions). Coming soon.

Render

Represents emissions from the user device displaying a creative. The calculations include both the use phase (direct power consumption for the processing) and the embodied emissions (emissions associated with the infrastructure and end-of-life) for this activity

Corporate emissions

Corporate emissions include the people and IT infrastructure that are responsible for distributing and monetizing content. The GMSF has yet to outline which corporate emissions should be included or excluded from the digital media framework. Therefore, in the current version of the GMSF model we have only included the corporate emissions of the media company responsible for the property on which the creative runs.

DOOH Scope3 Classic and GMSF Mapping

Detailed descriptions of GMSF (DOOH) sub-steps

Creation

File Tech Manipulation (Multivariant Creative)

Creative Storage

Creative storage accounts for the emissions originating from the storage of the Ad Creative assets in Ad Servers and/or on CDN servers. The Ad Creative assets include all stored assets: videos, images, javascripts, 3D models, fonts, etc., as well as different file versions generated to adapt delivery of content to context. This includes direct energy consumption by the storage infrastructure, as well as the hardware's embodied emissions (manufacturing and end of life emissions). Coming soon.

Creative Transcoding

Transcoding involves the creation of multiple asset formats or other modification of the creative product for the purpose of distribution. Coming soon.

Distribution

Ad space selection

Creative Selection and Placement

Ad space selection is the process of matching an advertisement opportunity with an appropriate ad placement and selecting the creative content to be displayed to the target audience. Coming soon.

Marketplace Buying - Programmatic Networks and Servers

Programmatic recognizes emissions originating from a real-time bidding (RTB) process. Real-time bidding (RTB) refers to a way of transacting media that allows an individual ad impression to be put up for bid in real-time. This is accomplished through a programmatic on-the-spot auction, similar to how financial markets operate. RTB lets buyers use their own data and targeting options to bid for each ad impression. Advertisers can take factors such as site, placement, price and user data into account when bidding on each impression. The winning bidder gets its ad to be served, which is often customized on the fly to better tailor the message to the audience. This includes direct power consumption for the processing and transmission of requests, as well as embodied emissions associated with the infrastructure manufacturing, and end-of-life.

Ad creative transmission

Emissions originating from the transmission of the Ad Creative assets from data center, over network, to but not including end-user device. The Ad Creative assets include all loaded assets required to generate the ad experience: videos, images, javascripts, 3D models, fonts, etc. This includes direct energy consumption by the data centers and the network infrastructure, as well as the hardware's embodied emissions (manufacturing and end of life emissions).

Consumption

Viewing/Use

Digital Operations and Digital Embedded

Viewing/ Use recognizes the emissions from kWh used during display time multiplied by location based emission factor for grid and the embedded emissions in the display structure.

Embedded emissions are the greenhouse gas emissions generated during the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of goods, sometimes also referred to as embodied emissions. In the context of the GMSF, embedded emissions have been included and amortized over the life of the device or system involved in media placement or consumption (generally expressed as average life, usage time, end of life). The lifetime usually follows financial accounting principles for depreciation even when the actual lifetimes are longer to be consistent with financial accounting in general.

Corporate

Corporate

Corporate emissions include the people and IT infrastructure that are responsible for distributing and monetizing content. The GMSF has yet to outline which corporate emissions should be included or excluded from the digital media framework. Therefore, in the current version of the GMSF model we have only included the corporate emissions of the media company responsible for the property on which the creative runs.