Omnichannel ad exchange Sharethrough has launched Green PMPs (Private Marketplaces), its first Green Media Product to help advertisers and agencies offset the carbon impact of running programmatic ad campaigns.

Sharethrough’s Green Media Products will measure the scope 3 emissions from an entire programmatic advertising campaign. Scope 3 emissions are those that come from assets that are not directly owned or controlled by an organization, but that it indirectly impacts through engagement in its supply chain (scope 1 emissions are direct greenhouse gas emissions, while scope 2 emissions are those emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat or cooling).

While scope 3 emissions are difficult to calculate, it is estimated that they account for 65% to 95% of a company’s total footprint.  In the world of advertising, scope 3 emissions would come from things like the servers used to run adtech platforms or the power used to operate digital billboards. One million ad impressions produce the same amount of emissions as one round trip flight from Boston to London, or 2.3 million plastic straws.

The first of Sharethrough’s Green Media Products, partners can now search for Green PMPs directly in their DSPs and activate them with the click of a button. Partners can also work directly with Sharethrough to create custom Green PMPs across display, video, and native advertisements. Green PMPs will calculate the scope 3 emissions generated, and contribute a corresponding amount to a portfolio high-quality carbon removal projects.

Cossette Media will be one of the first agencies in Canada to transact net-zero emission media on Sharethrough’s Green PMPs. Axel Dumont, president of Cossette Media, says the initiative fits with the agency’s “purpose of Making Media Matter and particularly the importance of building a cleaner and sustainable media ecosystem.

Sharethrough research suggests that while consumers are willing to take steps to reduce their carbon footprint, they put the bulk of the responsibility on corporations to cut emissions and favour those brands who do so. In a survey of 1,000 adults across the U.S., Canada and U.K., 80% stated that they favor brands that are working to reduce their carbon emissions. Six out of 10 respondents were not aware that navigating the internet generates carbon emissions. Surprisingly, 74% of consumers said they are willing to reduce their time online to offset their carbon footprint and 37% of online users said they are willing to pay a carbon tax related to their browsing habits.