Sustainability in DOOH: Turning Earth Day Intent into Measurable Media Decisions

Why Carbon Measurement Is Becoming Central to Media Planning

April has become a natural checkpoint for sustainability conversations. With Earth Month setting the context and Earth Day on April 22 anchoring global attention, the focus across industries is shifting from intent to accountability. In advertising, this shift is becoming increasingly visible in how media is planned and evaluated.

Within Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH), sustainability is no longer limited to perception. It is beginning to take shape as a measurable component of media delivery. The conversation is evolving from whether the medium is sustainable to how sustainability can be quantified and applied within planning decisions.

The Disconnect Between Sustainability and Media

Organisations have traditionally addressed sustainability at an organisational level, through operations, supply chains, or production. Media, however, has remained largely outside this scope.. However, this separation is becoming difficult to justify. Marketing activities are estimated to contribute close to 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, based on academic estimates of digital technologies and media emissions as synthesised in the Ad Net Zero Global Media Sustainability Framework (2025).

The challenge lies in visibility. Media-related emissions are not concentrated in one place; they are distributed across screens, infrastructure, and consumption patterns. As a result, they have remained largely invisible within planning frameworks.

This is beginning to change. As Scope 3 reporting gains prominence, there is a growing expectation for emissions to be measured across the full value chain, including media.

This creates a new requirement: media plans must now balance performance, cost, and carbon impact.

Source: MW Market

Rethinking Carbon Efficiency in DOOH

A key shift in the sustainability conversation is the move from absolute emissions to emission per impression.

DOOH introduces a unique advantage here as it operates on a shared delivery model. A single screen delivers content to multiple viewers at once, distributing energy consumption across a larger audience. When evaluated on a per-impression basis, this results in lower carbon intensity compared to formats where impressions are delivered individually.

This reframing introduces a more precise way to evaluate carbon efficiency. It allows sustainability to be assessed alongside reach and delivery, rather than in isolation. In doing so, planners can now make carbon-aware decisions during campaign planning instead of evaluating sustainability after a campaign ends.

From Measurement to Practical Application

While awareness of sustainability is increasing, its application within planning depends on one critical factor: measurement.

Recent discussions in a sustainability-focused industry session led by Navonil Roy highlighted the need to move beyond high-level commitments and focus on practical implementation. The emphasis is shifting towards embedding carbon data into planning systems, making it accessible at the point of decision-making.

This approach enables:

• Visibility of emissions at both screen and campaign levels
• Comparison of inventory based on carbon intensity and audience delivery
• Estimation of campaign emissions during the planning phase

By introducing carbon as a measurable input, sustainability becomes part of the planning process rather than a post-campaign evaluation.

Translating Measurement into Planning

For sustainability to influence outcomes, it must be integrated into existing workflows. This is where Moving Walls bridges the gap.

Moving Walls embeds carbon measurement within its planning environment, allowing emission data to sit alongside audience metrics. This creates a unified view where decisions can be made based on both performance and environmental impact.

The approach includes:

• Structured measurement at asset and campaign levels
• Alignment with recognised frameworks such as the GHG Protocol and Ad Net Zero
• Reporting based on emission per impression, enabling like-for-like comparison

In addition, its collaboration with Cedara introduces capabilities for campaign-level carbon tracking and optimisation, extending measurement into actionable insights.

This integration ensures planners treat sustainability not as an additional layer, but as an inherent part of planning.

Source: MW Market

Enabling Optimisation Without Trade-offs

Once carbon data is available within planning systems, it creates opportunities for optimisation.

Planners can refine campaigns by:

• Selecting inventory with lower emission intensity
• Adjusting creative formats and durations
• Evaluating delivery approaches for efficiency
• Incorporating infrastructure considerations such as energy sources

These adjustments allow emissions to be reduced without affecting campaign outcomes, enabling organisations to meet ESG targets while maintaining reach, efficiency, and return on investment. Sustainability, in this context, becomes aligned with performance rather than positioned as a compromise.

Source: MW Market

Earth Day as a Moment of Progress

Earth Day serves as a reminder of the broader sustainability agenda, but its relevance for the DOOH industry lies in demonstrating measurable progress. The focus is shifting towards systems that enable consistent measurement, standardised reporting, and informed decision-making.

This direction is reflected in the ongoing collaboration between the World Out of Home Organisation (WOO) and Moving Walls, which brings together industry stakeholders to address how sustainability can be implemented in a structured and scalable manner.

As part of this effort, a global webinar will explore how carbon measurement can be embedded into planning and optimisation workflows, and how the industry can move towards a more accountable framework for media investment. For those involved in shaping DOOH strategies, it offers a practical view of how sustainability is being operationalised across the ecosystem.

Sustainability in DOOH is entering a more defined phase, one where measurement, integration, and optimisation are becoming central to planning and evaluation. The ability to quantify emissions and apply them within decision-making is no longer optional; it is becoming a baseline expectation.

As the industry moves forward, the emphasis will be on adoption, translating frameworks and tools into everyday planning practices. Join the upcoming session and discover how leading agencies and brands are integrating carbon data into media planning, without compromising performance.