IPA Media Carbon Calculator FAQs

What is included in the calculations?

The calculator measures the emissions associated with the end delivery of a media campaign. It does not currently calculate emissions related to transmission (eg data centres).

The calculator works at an overall channel level – it does not currently take into account the impact of individual media owners. For each channel below it uses the emissions sources from the media plan based on:

• TV & Radio – Impressions and electricity use of the device
• OOH – Energy consumption of advertising on a billboard
• DOOH – Electricity consumption of screen
• Print – Energy associated with printing the advertising
• Digital - Electricity consumption of viewing the advert on the device of the end user

Please see assumptions and data sources for more information.

Does the calculator take into account existing industry carbon offsetting schemes?

No, the calculator currently doesn’t as it currently doesn’t include media transmission data or data from individual media owners. 

Do the calculations take into account the average carbon impact of energy consumption in the UK (e.g. taking into account that some people will have energy that is 100% renewable)?

Yes, the calculator uses UK emissions factors, which take into account the overall energy mix of renewables vs non-renewables in the UK. Therefore if someone is watching a TV ad on a TV that is powered by renewable energy, this will already be accounted for in the calculation.

The calculator does not however currently factor in differences by supplier, so for example all digital OOH screens are assumed to be the same, whereas some media owners will have screens that are powered by renewable energy. The ambition is to include the detailed vendor level data as we develop the calculator further. 

Does the calculator take into account emissions from production?

No, the calculator only takes into account emissions from media delivery. Emissions from production are covered by AdGreen.