Google opens ads carbon reports to all advertisers

New Delhi: Google has rolled out Carbon Footprint for Google Ads to every advertiser, expanding a feature that measures and reports the greenhouse gas emissions linked to ad campaigns across Google Ads, Display & Video 360, Search Ads 360 and Campaign Manager 360. 

First announced in March 2025 with select large advertisers, the tool now provides first-party emissions data at scale.

The reporting follows the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the Ad Net Zero Global Media Sustainability Framework, with outputs in kgCO2e. Estimates are built from Google’s own infrastructure usage — data centres, content delivery networks and AI operations — mapped to account activity such as auctions, serving and bidding. 

Calculations factor dynamic versus idle power, Power Usage Effectiveness and regional grid intensity. Scope 1, Scope 2 (location- and market-based) and Scope 3 categories are broken out, with boundaries focused on Google-owned operations; advertisers can include end-user devices and external networks as Scope 3 in their own disclosures.

Access is free for admins via a request form and supports up to 25 account IDs per submission. Reports refresh around the 20th of each month and include historical data from January 2024 onward. Early testers, including L’Oréal and LVMH used the tool to refine reduction plans, with one pilot finding lower than expected emissions from Google inventory.

The broader release lands as sustainability regulation tightens, including the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and as consumer sentiment shifts, with a meaningful share of shoppers switching brands over environmental concerns. For marketers, the data can inform greener media choices, portfolio mix and creative optimisations, placing environmental impact alongside ROI as a planning metric.