Joe Lanzerotti
It’s no secret that the world we live in is more digitally focused than ever before. As commerce, social hangouts, and media consumption grow in the online arena, so too does the energy needed to support their infrastructures. Nestled among these major industries is digital advertising, which accounts for roughly 1% of all global energy consumption according to a recent study.
Advancing the digital advertising industry while also decreasing its impact on the environment is difficult, but perhaps less impossible than it may seem. It’s helpful to know that 75% of consumers are concerned about the environmental impact of the products and services they buy. Therefore, any effort made towards reducing carbon emissions or overall energy output in a digital advertising campaign is a net positive for brands. For this reason, 70% of AdTech companies are either measuring their carbon emissions annually or planning to soon. Clearly, sustainability is not just good for our planet, it is good for the bottomline.
Recognizing that sustainability is an important initiative is only the first step in the journey to becoming a carbon-conscious partner. Success requires taking action to actively reduce carbon emissions in order to extinguish the “digital fire” that has resulted from recurring malpractices within our industry. But this is not an easy task and cannot be accomplished alone. Our industry will improve only when companies find ways to cross borders and accomplish goals together. For this reason, Kargo has embarked on two important partnerships that will make it possible for us to truly achieve a high standard of sustainability and help carve out a long term solution for our industry. Throughout the next year, Kargo will be partnering with The Alpine Project, a sustainability consultancy firm that specializes in working with AdTech partners. Together, we will measure our current carbon emissions across all forms of scope 1, 2, and 3 outputs, verify the emissions with a trusted 3rd party partner, and set measurable goals to reduce our emissions as much as possible. Kargo will also find ways to offset remaining carbon emissions that can’t be reduced, with the grand culminating goal of becoming a carbon net zero company. In addition, we will be joining Ad Net Zero, an AdTech trade group that focuses specifically on reducing emissions from advertising business operations, production, media planning and buying, and events.
While sustainability has always been an important factor in our decision making, it is now a key tenet of our plans for 2024. It is critical that our industry, as a whole, takes control of our rampant energy misuse and finds ways to promote brands without scorching the earth in the process. Kargo plans to capitalize on key partnerships and lead the way for sustainability in our industry, and our hope is to inspire others to join us on this important journey.
