High quality digital ads result in lower carbon emissions: DV’s report

Delhi: DoubleVerify ("DV"), the software platform for digital media measurement, data, and analytics, revealed findings from its Global Insights Report demonstrating a relationship between high-quality digital advertising environments and reduced carbon emissions.

DV measures the quality of ad inventory through its DV Authentic Rate.

"Simply put, for digital ads, buying higher quality media directly translates to a lower emissions impact,” said Mark Zagorski, CEO, at DoubleVerify. "Our latest data shows that high-quality, fraud-free advertising not only optimizes performance but also supports broader sustainability goals. By enhancing the precision and efficiency of ad delivery, we can help decrease the unnecessary energy consumption that contributes to higher emissions."

The study also found that high-tier MFA sites, known for high ad density, emitted 44% more carbon emissions relative to the average emissions across DV-measured media. Conversely, ads with high DV Authentic Rates produced fewer emissions, affirming the positive environmental impact of quality digital ad placements.

DV’s approach to measuring the carbon impact of digital ads leverages a partnership that was launched in 2022 with Scope3, the provider of ad-emissions data. 

DV calculated that media quality protections helped avoid a quantifiable 64.9 thousand metric tons of CO2 emissions waste from non-authentic ads in 2023, equivalent to a $13.2 million social cost of carbon ($204 per metric ton of CO2). Social cost of carbon quantifies and monetises the incremental costs to society of climate change impacts resulting from the emission of one additional metric ton of CO2 or its equivalent. 

"Media quality optimisation prevented a sizable amount of CO2 emissions that would have been produced by low-quality ad placements, avoiding a considerable social cost of carbon,” said Zagorski. “This underscores the importance of maintaining high standards in digital advertising.”