For years, sustainability in advertising has focused on measuring what is most visible and controllable: screen energy consumption, device efficiency, and the optimization of technological infrastructure. However, this perspective only tells part of the story.

Today, the conversation has evolved, and in 2026, talking about sustainability without including Scope 3 means falling behind. Indirect emissions across the entire value chain are moving from a “grey area” to a strategic component of ESG reporting and media planning.

In the digital out of home advertising environment, this transition marks a turning point: it is no longer enough to measure what happens on the screen; we must understand everything that happens around it.

 

Scope 3 in DOOH: What Is It?

In corporate carbon footprint measurement, emissions are traditionally divided into three major categories known as Scopes.

This terminology comes from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and is used to classify and define where greenhouse gas emissions originate within an organization. In other words, it identifies where emissions are generated across a company’s activities, enabling standardized measurement, management, and comparison.

This framework divides emissions into three scopes based on the degree of control or influence an organization has over them:

 

• Scope 1: direct emissions from a company’s own operations
• Scope 2: emissions from the energy consumed to run those operations
• Scope 3: indirect emissions generated across the entire value chain

 

For years, sustainability efforts in digital media focused primarily on Scope 1 and Scope 2. Why? Simply because they were easier to measure and control. As these measurements became more stable, consistent, and widespread, it became clear that Scope 3 typically represents the largest share of a company’s total carbon footprint.

In DOOH, this means that much of a campaign’s environmental impact lies not only in the operation of the screens, but across the broader ecosystem that makes an advertising activation possible.

What Does Scope 3 Include and How Is It Different?

Unlike Scopes 1 and 2, which cover direct emissions and operational energy use, Scope 3 includes all indirect emissions generated throughout a company’s value chain, from those produced by suppliers and partners upstream to those resulting from how products or services are used downstream by clients and consumers. These are emissions that organizations do not directly control but can influence.

In advertising and digital media, Scope 3 may include:

 

• Production of advertising creatives and audiovisual content
• Use of technology platforms, data centers, servers, and content delivery networks
• Activities of agencies, technology providers, and partners involved in planning and activation
• Transport, logistics, and manufacturing of the equipment supporting the technological infrastructure
• Emissions generated by end-users consuming content and services

 

Ultimately, Scope 3 represents the impact of the entire ecosystem that enables the activity, reminding us that the most significant impact is not always the most visible.

 

From Partial Measurement to Real Campaign Impact

For a long time, sustainability in DOOH advertising has been assessed from a media-asset perspective, focusing on screen electricity consumption, energy efficiency, and the transition to renewable energy.

However, this approach overlooks a key reality: an advertising campaign is a far more complex value chain.
To understand the full impact of a DOOH campaign, its entire lifecycle must be considered, including:

 

• Research, strategy, and campaign planning
• Production of creative assets and audiovisual content
• Cloud data storage, processing, and transfer
• Programmatic buying, optimization, and technological activation
• Operation of platforms, ad servers, DSPs, SSPs, and content delivery networks
• Collaboration between agencies, media owners, technology providers, and partners
• Connectivity and transmission of content to screens
• Audience interaction and content consumption

 

Each of these stages generates indirect emissions that, when combined, can significantly exceed those associated with the physical media or screen operation itself.

For brands and media planners, the key question is no longer just: How much energy do the screens consume? But: 

 

• What is the full carbon footprint of the campaign across its lifecycle?
• How much of the total impact comes from the supply chain and technology partners?
• How can the entire advertising ecosystem be optimized, not just the screens, to reduce emissions?

 

Answering these questions is essential to achieving more realistic, comprehensive, and transparent impact measurement.

 

Scope 3: The New Standard in Advertising Reporting

Scope 3 is moving from a voluntary recommendation to a growing requirement in environmental impact measurement.

Globally, reporting frameworks and regulations such as ESG standards, the EU’s CSRD, and the GHG Protocol are pushing companies to measure and report value-chain emissions more accurately.

As a result, brands are increasingly incorporating these metrics into their ESG reporting for several key reasons:

 

• They provide a far more complete and realistic view of environmental impact, as Scope 3 often represents the majority of an organization’s total footprint
• They enable comparability across media, formats, and channels by introducing carbon as a new planning metric
• They respond to growing regulatory, investor, and consumer pressure for greater accountability and environmental traceability
• They strengthen transparency, corporate credibility, and reputation risk management
• They help identify efficiency opportunities and cost reductions across the entire supply chain

 

In this context, media owners and partners able to measure, report, and reduce Scope 3 emissions will gain a clear competitive advantage over those who cannot.

Conclusion: Scope 3 Is Redefining DOOH Sustainability

In 2026, sustainability in DOOH advertising is entering a new phase of maturity. The conversation is no longer limited to screen energy consumption but has expanded to the total impact of the advertising ecosystem.

Sustainability is no longer an isolated metric. It is becoming a strategic variable in omnichannel media planning, driving a more transparent, responsible, and ESG-aligned DOOH industry.

 

If you want to understand how to measure and optimize the environmental impact of your clients’ DOOH campaigns and move toward more sustainable digital out of home advertising, we can help. Shall we talk?