The Time to Act is Now: Reducing the internet’s carbon dioxide impact

In its white paper, SeenThis explains how the internet can be thought of as a supply chain for data: while an ad is initially stored in a data centre, it travels through many different technologies before finally reaching the end-user device, where it can then be served as an ad impression. The actual carbon reduction of a given sustainability initiative depends on what share of this value chain the solution targets. For example, if the solution is only about how the ad is delivered to the end user, it may target only half of the internet supply chain, failing to address the emissions that stem from building the infrastructure itself.

The implications of this are twofold. First, it further emphasises the need for us as an industry to come together and agree on emission and reduction measurement standards for how to measure emissions and reductions. This doesn’t mean, however, that we should wait until we have all the calculations and information on the table before implementing data reduction solutions – as long as there’s some reduction in data, this also implies a reduction in carbon emissions.