In 2018, OpenX made the decision to migrate its entire tech infrastructure and ad exchange to the cloud, selecting Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for its efficiency and scalability, as well as its operational carbon neutral status. Because Alphabet, Google’s parent company, operates an extensive renewable energy program, OpenX was able to dramatically reduce its GHG emissions by selecting GCP as its cloud platform partner. OpenX processes more than 250 billion ad requests per day and the migration to GPC allowed it to operate with far greater computing and energy efficiency.
In 2021, OpenX moved to a default remote-first work policy. The shift to remote work drove a reduction in OpenX’s emissions from commuting, which had previously been one of the company’s highest sources of Scope 3 emissions. We now measure the emissions generated from employees working from home as a key component of our emissions measurement data. We also measure the emissions from our business travel which enables employees to be more deliberate about when and where to travel for work.
As a result of the shift to remote work, OpenX was able to reduce our office locations from 9 in our baseline year of 2018 to 3 in 2022. In some markets, we moved to co-working spaces like WeWork. This decrease in our facilities footprint created a significant reduction in our Scope 2 emissions from electricity and heat use.
OpenX achieved a reduction of its carbon emissions for all three scopes from 24,44100 tCO2e in 2018 to 909 tCO2e in 2021. This amounted to a 96% reduction, setting the highest quality standard for the ad industry.
In parallel with the GHG inventory formalization and verification, on 24 March 2022, OpenX committed to the most ambitious Net-Zero targets allowed by SBTi at that time for companies with less than 500 employees: 50% reduction in Scopes 1 & 2 from a 2018 base year. The application required an in-depth calculation of the 2018 GHG inventory, which was conducted in parallel with the creation of the 2021 GHG inventory, following the same international standards. The OpenX initial Net-Zero targets and commitment to the SBTi standard was formally approved by SBTi on 11 April 2022 and then the updated OpenX long term target covering all three scopes was approved on 27 June 2022 (“OpenX Technologies Inc. (and its operating affiliates) commits to reduce scope 1+2+3 emissions 90% by 2027 from a 2018 base year”) publicly recognizing OpenX’s climate leadership.
As an official signatory of the SBTi pledge organized by the United Nations Global Compact to help leading companies align their actions with the Paris Climate Accords of 2015, OpenX is also recognized as a Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign member, joining nearly 1,500 leading companies that have committed to achieving emissions reductions in line with the most recent scientific calls to reduce global warming levels to less than 1.5°C. Note: Net-Zero target is published publicly on SBTI’s website.
Beyond our efforts to promote an inclusive and diverse work environment, OpenX has also taken action to mitigate our organization’s potential climate justice impacts. We have specifically chosen carbon removal projects, through our partnership with Climate Impact Partners, that support developing regions and underserved communities across many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These carbon removal projects are also aligned with the SBTi Net-Zero Standard.
The systemic impact of the California regulations have reduced emissions from our energy use in CA due to grid level improvements.
Reference response to Basic Pathway Details regarding offsets, furthermore, OpenX has taken several steps to provide support for the people of Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion which has been enabled in part through Russian revenues from fossil fuels. OpenX has a large presence in Poland and many of our employees have volunteered their time and resources to help the thousands of Ukrainian refugees in their region. In March 2022, OpenX implemented a policy in which our Polish employees could take additional paid time off for their volunteer efforts.
OpenX also provided resources for employees to donate to a variety of related charities including:
Refer to section above regarding offsets.
OpenX has taken a leadership position in environmental sustainability within the advertising industry. As part of our sustainability initiative in 2022, we began the process of working with our clients, partners and industry’s trade organizations to bring more climate education, thought leadership and practical solutions to the advertising community. Some of efforts include the following:
1) OpenX published the Getting Smart on Sustainability in Ad Tech eBook, which served as a free educational resource for advertising executives to gain an understanding of key terms, global standards, emissions types and details on adTech’s contribution to global GHG emissions. The eBook, along with the OpenX Sustainability page and various blog posts on sustainability have helped OpenX bring a new level of awareness to brands, agencies, publishers and our various platform partners on the importance of understanding the topic of environmental sustainability, how we all contribute to the problem and what we can do together to decarbonize our industry.
2) OpenX has hosted numerous panel discussions and executive interviews at advertising industry events such as the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity and Advertising Week events in London, Tokyo, Sydney and New York. By bringing thought leaders from the worlds of climate innovation and advertising together to discuss important topics related to climate change and sustainability, OpenX has led the industry in increasing awareness and understanding of these important topics.
3) OpenX has brought sustainability education directly to our clients and partners. As the industry has become increasingly aware of the steps our company has made and the leadership position we have taken, OpenX has been asked by many brands, agencies and publishers for guidance. We have answered the call by conducting dozens of small group forums in which we walk our clients and partners through the process we have undertaken to become a more sustainable business, what we have learned along the way, and what other companies can do to follow our lead.
4) OpenX has brought sustainable media solutions to our advertising partners. OpenX Green Media Buys (GMBs) enable advertisers to estimate the carbon emissions from the media they run through the OpenX exchange exchange, and then offset those emissions with verified carbon removal projects. Both the data used to estimate the carbon emissions and the offsetting projects are provided by our partner, Scope3.
5) In addition to taking important steps to educate our clients, partners and the broader advertising community, we have also looked inward to ensure our own employees are literate in the issues related to environmental sustainability. We have held numerous company meetings, town halls and offsites in which OpenX exectivies, along with our climate consultant, Dr. WIlliam Wescott, to engage all employees in our sustainability program and share the progress we have been making on our emissions measurement efforts, Net-Zero targets and CarbonNeutral ® certification.
OpenX continues to work and collaborate with GCP to enable more data centers using climate-friendly power sources. Additionally, OpenX is revisiting the company travel policy to reduce the volume of unnecessary travel.
Schedule a call with us to receive a free demo of the Net-Zero Portal and learn how we can support your organization’s net-zero goals.
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