Scope3 aligns to GMSF v1.2

Alignment to version 1.2 of the Global Media Sustainability Framework

Effective October 1st, the Scope3 emissions model is aligned to the latest version (v1.2) of the Global Media Sustainability Framework (GMSF). In addition, customers can report on emissions strictly under GMSF categories by selecting the new GMSF framework:

API customers will see a new gmsf value under the framework field in the /measure endpoint.
Scope3 platform customers will see an updated framework filter in Explore, Property pages and Media Reporting.

What framework to use when

All overlapping emissions categories are calculated the same way across the gmsf, scope3-consumer-device, and scope3 frameworks. What distinguishes them is the set of categories each framework includes.

Emissions Category key	scope3	gmsf	scope3-consumer-device
`techManipulation.creativeStorage`	included	included	included
`mediaDistribution.corporate`	included	excluded	included
`mediaDistribution.dataTransfer`	included	excluded	included
`mediaDistribution.consumerDevice`	excluded	excluded	included
`adSelection.adPlatform`	included	included	included
`adSelection.dataTransfer`	included	included	included
`creativeDelivery.adPlatform`	included	included	included
`creativeDelivery.dataTransfer`	included	included	included
`creativeDelivery.consumerDevice`	excluded	included	included
`disposal.adMaterial`	included	included	included
`disposal.other`	included	included	included

As such, we recommend to:

Choose gmsf for strict alignment with GMSF categories. Note: Emissions data for impressions served prior to October 1, 2025 is not available under this framework.
Choose scope3-consumer-device for broader coverage (including categories not yet in GMSF, such as media/content-related emissions).
Choose scope3 to exclude consumer device emissions. This remains the default if no framework is specified.

Key Methodological changes

As part of this alignment, we have made the following changes:

Change	Impacted category keys	Expected Materiality
A new technicalManipulation category has been added to capture emissions associated with creative storage.	`techManipulation.creativeStorage`	Very Low
Embodied emissions associated with servers have been incorporated.	`adSelection.adPlatform`	Low
Updated the default bytes per ad/bid request.	`adSelection.dataTransfer`	Low
The conventional network model is been applied to all channels to account for emissions from Internet data transfer.	`adSelection.dataTransfer` `mediaDistribution.dataTransfer` `creativeDelivery.dataTransfer`	High
Default energy consumption and embodied emissions have been updated for all device types.	`mediaDistribution.consumerDevice` `creativeDelivery.consumerDevice`	High (but only affects customers using the `scope3-consumer-device` framework)
Default Web and App Ad Formats and in-view time have been updated to the GMSF display defaults.	`creativeDelivery.dataTransfer` `creativeDelivery.consumerDevice`	Low
Estimations of “% of screen occupied by the ad” have been improved.	`creativeDelivery.consumerDevice`	Low
The amount of content associated per ad impression has been updated based on more recent research.	`mediaDistribution.dataTransfer` `mediaDistribution.consumerDevice`	High
(DOOH-specific) Emissions associated with DOOH screen energy consumption have been reclassified from mediaDistribution.dataTransfer to a newly added category, creativeDelivery.outdoorDisplay.	`mediaDistribution.dataTransfer` `creativeDelivery.outdoorDisplay`	n/a
(DOOH-specific) A new disposal category has been added to account for emissions from the end-of-life treatment of digital screen assets. This category will also apply to channels that generate physical waste (as we introduce support for such channel).	`disposal.other`	Very Low

Our methodology documentation has been updated to reflect these changes.

Expected impact

Emissions totals may shift as a result of the updates above. To see the impact on a specific property, compare ‘September’ vs ‘Latest’ in the "Emissions over time" chart in platform. For customers using the scope3 framework (excluding consumer devices), we expect the following approximate per-channel variations, though results will vary based on campaign inputs.

Channels	Expected Variance	Example Property
`web`	+2%	insider.com
`app`	+2%	Wordscapes
`search`	-1%	Google
`social`	-4%	Facebook
`ctv-bvod`	+22%	Netflix
`olv`	-20%	7news.com.au
`digital-audio`	-13%	Spotify
`linear-tv`	-43%	n/a

For any question or concern, please contact your Customer Success representative or Scope3 Support.

Recommendation to API customers

This change is not a breaking change, as no emissions categories have been removed. However, we recommend considering the following:

Recommending to	Recommendation
Customers preferring to adhere strictly to GMSF categories	Add query string `framework=gmsf`to your calls to the /measure endpoint.
Customers pulling emissions categories breakdown	Start pulling `technicalManipulation.creativeStorage` from the /measure output.
DOOH customers pulling emissions categories breakdown	Start pulling `creativeDelivery.outdoorDisplay` & `disposal.other` from the /measure output.

A note on Alignment vs Compliance

At this stage, GMSF provides guidance and categories but does not yet include a formal audit or certification process. The appropriate term to use is therefore alignment rather than compliance. This release reflects Scope3’s alignment with GMSF v1.2: we have adopted its recommendations where applicable, while continuing to apply Scope3 approaches and calculations in areas where higher accuracy is supported by contributed data.