Greentech.LIVE: Patrick Schnitzler from klima&so on CO2 Certification and Emissions from Social Media and Streaming

At the Greentech.LIVE conference in Hamburg, Patrick Schnitzler, co-founder of klima&so, will be presenting about his Berlin-based company, which specializes in CO2 certification and the balancing of emissions from social media and streaming.

In his work, Patrick calculates the CO2 emissions caused by online activities such as accounts and campaigns. The impact of these activities is often not immediately apparent – electricity consumption and server infrastructure also cause emissions that need to be taken into account.

Developing a Carbon Footprint Calculation Model

The klima&so team has developed a calculation model that makes these emissions measurable and reportable. In addition to the carbon footprint of social media, there is also a calculated model to determine how much CO2 is produced by a viral video or an online campaign.

A good example: A video by Stefan Raab, which had 60 million views on Instagram, caused 142 tons of CO2 – the equivalent of many flights between Frankfurt and New York. Many people don’t realize that there is a lot of electricity consumption behind such huge reach, which also generates emissions.

Regulatory Requirements and Future Reporting Obligations

Another topic that Patrick addresses is regulatory requirements: In future, companies will increasingly have to include emissions and sustainability aspects in their reporting obligations. In the area of social media marketing in particular, agencies and brands will also be obliged to report transparently on their emissions, which can trigger sustainable change.

With klima&so, Patrick has developed a system that supports companies in calculating and reporting their emissions in social media marketing.

Creating a Wave of Awareness for Sustainable Social Media Use

But that’s just the first step. Because the real plan behind this approach is to create a greater wave of awareness. Through transparency and concrete measures, more and more companies and consumers should be inspired to use social media more sustainably.