OOH produces the lowest amount of carbon emissions per impression compared with other major media channels, according to a new study.
Research from trade body Outsmart and KPMG found that OOH made up less than 3.5% of the total carbon footprint of UK advertising.
Similarly, OOH made up 3.3% of UK advertising’s total power consumption, equating to 0.067% of all power consumption in the UK.
OOH’s share of UK adspend is estimated at 3.8%, according to the Advertising Association and Warc.
The study measured the power consumption and carbon footprint of six main advertising media channels: email, OOH, online, print, radio and TV.
Tim Lumb, director of Outsmart, said: “When we look at either the power consumption or the carbon emissions advertising ‘pie’, OOH is an incredibly small slice. Media owners have control over their supply chain, delivery and end of cycle processes — controls that result in demonstrable reductions to climate impact at pace.”
“Of course, sustainability efforts have no end point, but the OOH sector is committed to improving and innovating across environmental and social sustainability, as shown in the initiatives from Outsmart members.”
The findings are consistent with a similar study that KPMG conducted in France.
Stéphanie Taupin, global strategy director at KPMG, said: “OOH allows brands to execute more environmentally friendly campaigns than other media when measured by contact or pound invested.”
Outsmart members and OOH media owners Clear Channel, Global, JCDecaux and Ocean Outdoor contributed their data to the research, accounting for 69% of all OOH panels in the UK, with the remainder “estimated based on this robust sample”.
