Together to Reduce our Digital Carbon Footprint

In the past years, as part of Garnier’s commitment for Green Beauty and more specifically for digital sustainability, Garnier Canada initiated an exploration of the carbon emissions resulting from social media usage and our digital activations and how to reduce it.

And let’s face it – the carbon footprint of digital in the world is quite tangible. If Internet was a country, it would be the fifth biggest polluter.

To put it simply, every video we watch, every piece of online content we engage with translates to energy consumption, ultimately contributing to carbon emissions.

The good news is there are simple steps we can all take, whether posting or consuming content, that can make a significant impact on reducing emissions! 

This is why we aim to use our collaborations to share these best practices, hoping that together, we can drive meaningful change.

Learn more about this page and Garnier’s commitments to Green Beauty here.

Creating Content with Sustainability in Mind: Best Practices

Explore simple methods to reduce your digital carbon footprint while creating and sharing online content.

CONTENT COMPRESSION

Best practice 1 : Make your files as lighter as possible

In simple terms, when files get larger, it uses more energy for storage or playback, leading to increased carbon emissions. The file size is influenced by factors like resolution and file format.

What to do about it?

Consider the file format and optimize the resolution or frame rate based on the average screen size where it will be displayed.

37% CARBON EMISSION REDUCTION POTENTIAL: Switching from 1080 pixels to 720 pixels can have a huge impact. Even switching from 4K to 1080 can result in an impact reduction of over 40%.

No Visual Gap – Especially On Mobile-First Platforms: The human eye can hardly perceive the difference between 1080p and 720p. It is even less perceptible in 4K – a format unsupported on certain platforms such as TikTok or Instagram, where automatic compression occurs.

VIDEO DURATION

Best practice 2 : Optimize video duration for impact

On most social media platforms, videos are preloaded, meaning even if viewers watch only a few seconds, the entire content is downloaded, consuming energy and generating emissions. Prioritizing clarity and value is a good way to maintain audience engagement while reducing environmental impact

The Best Practices

✓ CHECK THE FILE FORMAT FOR VIDEOS: MOV formats are not effective and shouldn’t be used as they usually are very heavy. Just converting them to .MP4 can reduce the size by 90%

✓ OPTIMIZE THE RESOLUTION OR FRAME RATE: For optimal quality on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where 4K is not supported, consider direct posting in 1080p. Adjust the framerate (to 25) instead of compromising on resolution. We also recommend testing 720p, as there is often no visual gap with 1080p on mobile screens. Try compressing the video before adding text for optimal effect, with the recommended size being 720 x 1280.

In simple terms, when files get larger, it uses more energy for storage or playback, leading to increased carbon emissions. The file size is influenced by factors like resolution and file format.

WHERE TO START?

• Optimize settings when filming
• Reformat existing content
• Go further

What to do about it?

Trim for impact. When framing your videos, question every second for its impact. Ensure each moment serves a purpose, keeping your content impactful.

15 SEC VERSUS 45 SEC CARBON DIFFERENCE -> 2x: The average difference in impact, for the same time spent watching, between a 15-second video and a 45-second video, due to content preloading.

USER ATTENTION SPAN VERSUS VIDEO DURATION -> 8s vs 28s: Our attention span has been decreasing for years… and it gets even lower when looking at sponsored content. Meanwhile, the average duration of content creators’ videos on TikTok and Instagram is about 30s.

SPREAD THE WORD

Good Practices On Social Media Usage

As users, we can follow some smart tips to use social media more mindfully.

USE WiFi OVER 5G or 4G
Scrolling social media on WiFi consumes 5 times less energy than on cellular data!

ENABLE LOW DATA MODE
Not able to use WiFi? Activating a low data mode on social media platforms can also make a difference.

DARK MODE ON
By activating dark mode and reducing screen brightness, you can effectively conserve your phone’s energy, extending battery life.

REDUCE RESOLUTION
Opt for a lower resolution when you can. Platforms such as YouTube and video streaming services allow you to make this choice.