DoubleVerify launches carbon tracking tool for digital advertising campaigns

DoubleVerify, the publicly traded media verification company, announced on June 4, 2025—five days ago—a partnership with sustainability technology firm Impact Plus to help brands measure the carbon footprint of their digital advertising campaigns.

The collaboration introduces DV's Emissions Measurement offering, which provides brands with detailed carbon impact data across their entire digital advertising supply chain. This marks a significant development in the advertising technology sector, where environmental considerations have traditionally taken a backseat to performance metrics and cost efficiency.

According to DoubleVerify, the integration delivers "a clear, end-to-end view of emissions across the entire digital advertising supply chain." The platform enables brands to track greenhouse gas emissions at the campaign level while maintaining existing performance standards.

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Technical specifications and measurement capabilities

The partnership leverages Impact Plus's automated greenhouse gas evaluation tools, which have been processing digital advertising emissions data since 2020. According to Impact Plus documentation, their system produces 0.22 grams of CO2 per view across digital advertising campaigns, with the company claiming that "95% of our clients reduce GHG emissions from their digital ads" while maintaining "zero negative impact on clients' media performances."

The measurement methodology encompasses multiple technical components across the digital advertising ecosystem. Carbon calculations factor in data transfer volumes, energy intensity of web infrastructure, power grid carbon intensity, and traffic patterns. This comprehensive approach mirrors methodologies used by website carbon calculators, which consider data center operations, telecommunications networks, and end-user device consumption.

DoubleVerify's system will provide three primary measurement functions: monitoring and managing emissions to track carbon footprint across the full media supply chain, benchmarking placements to compare carbon efficiency of different campaign strategies, and strategic planning to integrate emissions data into campaign optimization processes.

The technical integration operates through DoubleVerify's existing measurement infrastructure, which already processes billions of advertising impressions daily across global markets. The addition of carbon tracking represents an expansion of the platform's verification capabilities beyond traditional metrics like viewability, brand safety, and fraud detection.

Advanced optimization features scheduled for later deployment

DoubleVerify plans to enhance the offering later in 2025 by incorporating carbon considerations into DV Scibids AI, the company's dynamic activation technology. This development would enable real-time optimization toward more environmentally efficient advertising placements while maintaining campaign performance objectives.

The AI-powered optimization represents a technical advancement in programmatic advertising, where bidding decisions currently factor in performance predictions, audience targeting parameters, and cost efficiency calculations. Adding carbon footprint as an optimization variable introduces a new dimension to automated media buying decisions.

According to DoubleVerify's announcement, this capability would "shift ad investments toward more eco-friendly placements in real time, helping reduce the environmental impact of their digital campaigns." The technical implementation requires processing carbon impact calculations within the millisecond timeframes typical of programmatic auction environments.

Market context and competitive positioning

The partnership addresses growing pressure on brands to quantify and reduce their environmental impact across all business operations. Digital advertising represents approximately 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions from digital services, according to Impact Plus data, making it a material consideration for large advertisers with substantial media budgets.

Impact Plus serves multiple market segments, including brands and agencies through their Campaign Studies and Environmental Sustainability Platform offerings, as well as publishers and ad networks through integration capabilities. The company processes emissions data across programmatic, direct, and social media advertising channels.

DoubleVerify's entry into carbon measurement places the company alongside other advertising technology providers developing sustainability tracking capabilities. The competitive landscape includes both specialized environmental measurement firms and established ad tech companies adding carbon tracking to existing product suites.

Data processing and measurement methodology

The measurement system processes emissions data at multiple points across the digital advertising supply chain, from initial ad serving through final impression delivery. This includes energy consumption from data centers, network transmission, and end-user device processing.

According to the technical documentation, Impact Plus's measurement methodology accounts for electricity consumption across advertising technology infrastructure, creative asset processing, and audience data operations. The approach aligns with established carbon calculation frameworks that measure data transfer volumes, apply energy intensity coefficients for web infrastructure, assess power grid carbon intensity, and incorporate traffic patterns.

Website carbon measurement tools demonstrate similar methodological complexity, requiring analysis of data center energy sources, telecommunications network efficiency, and end-user device consumption. The advertising-specific implementation adds layers for programmatic auction processing, creative optimization, and audience targeting operations.

The integration provides detailed reporting capabilities that break down emissions by campaign components, geographic regions, and media channel types. This granular data enables advertisers to identify specific optimization opportunities within their media strategies. Carbon tracking systems typically cache results to minimize energy consumption from repeated testing, though real-time campaign optimization requires continuous measurement capabilities.

Industry implications for marketing professionals

The introduction of standardized carbon measurement tools into mainstream advertising platforms represents a significant shift in how marketing teams will evaluate campaign success. Traditional key performance indicators like cost per acquisition, return on ad spend, and conversion rates will likely expand to include environmental impact metrics.

Marketing departments will need to establish new processes for incorporating carbon footprint data into campaign planning and optimization workflows. This includes setting environmental targets alongside performance goals and developing reporting frameworks that balance business outcomes with sustainability objectives. The median carbon footprint for web pages currently stands at approximately 0.8 grams per page view, according to HTTP Archive data from July 2023, providing a baseline for digital advertising measurements.

The availability of real-time carbon optimization through automated bidding systems could fundamentally alter programmatic advertising strategies. Media buyers may need to adjust bidding algorithms and campaign parameters to account for environmental efficiency as an additional performance variable. This parallels how website optimization considers carbon ratings alongside traditional performance metrics.

Budget allocation decisions will increasingly factor in carbon efficiency alongside traditional media performance metrics. Brands with formal sustainability commitments may prioritize media channels and inventory types that demonstrate lower environmental impact per impression or conversion. The comparison becomes particularly relevant when considering that programmatic display advertising typically generates 3.6 grams of CO2 equivalent per impression, while programmatic video produces 4.8 grams, according to industry benchmarking data.

The technical integration of carbon tracking into existing advertising workflows reduces implementation barriers for marketing teams. Rather than requiring separate measurement systems or manual reporting processes, the embedded approach enables routine monitoring of environmental impact within established campaign management platforms.

Financial and operational considerations

DoubleVerify's stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker DV, providing public market validation of demand for advertising verification services. The company's expansion into carbon measurement reflects growing investor and client interest in environmental, social, and governance capabilities within advertising technology.

The partnership structure allows Impact Plus to access DoubleVerify's extensive client base while providing DV with specialized environmental measurement expertise. This collaboration model enables both companies to address market demand without requiring significant internal development resources.

Implementation costs for brands adopting carbon measurement capabilities remain unclear from public announcements. However, the integration into existing verification workflows suggests minimal additional operational overhead compared to standalone environmental tracking solutions.

Regulatory and compliance landscape

Growing regulatory attention on corporate environmental disclosure requirements makes standardized carbon measurement increasingly valuable for large advertisers. The European Union's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and similar regulations in other markets require detailed environmental impact reporting across business operations.

Digital advertising represents a measurable component of corporate carbon footprints, making accurate tracking essential for compliance reporting. The standardization of measurement methodologies through platform integrations reduces reporting complexity for multinational brands operating across multiple markets.

The availability of auditable emissions data through established advertising verification platforms may satisfy regulatory requirements more effectively than internal measurement systems or consulting-based assessments.

Technical integration and data accuracy

DoubleVerify's measurement platform processes advertising data in real-time across global markets, providing the technical infrastructure necessary for large-scale carbon tracking. The company's existing verification capabilities demonstrate the technical reliability required for accurate environmental measurement.

Impact Plus brings specialized expertise in greenhouse gas calculation methodologies specific to digital advertising operations. The company's focus on maintaining "zero negative impact on clients' media performances" addresses potential concerns about environmental tracking affecting campaign delivery.

The integration combines DoubleVerify's scale and technical infrastructure with Impact Plus's environmental measurement expertise, creating a comprehensive solution for brands requiring both advertising verification and carbon tracking capabilities.

Timeline

• December 2023: Scope3 expands carbon measurement capabilities to include DOOH advertising
• March 2024: Adform launches carbon footprint measurement with Scope3 integration
• June 2024: Teads launches Carbon Reduction program at Cannes Lions
• October 2024: Study reveals 79% of advertising executives consider environmental factors in ad spend
• October 2024: InMobi launches green media deals to reduce mobile ad carbon emissions
• November 2024: VIOOH's DOOH platform achieves 90% lower carbon emissions vs industry standards
• March 2025: Digital ad tech firms showcase carbon reduction wins at IAB Europe webinar
• June 4, 2025: DoubleVerify announces partnership with Impact Plus for Emissions Measurement offering
• Later 2025: Planned integration of carbon optimization into DV Scibids AI technology