Sustainable Media
Strategic Media Planning for a Sustainable Future
In an increasingly crowded and fast-paced media landscape, it is easy for us strategists, planners, and buyers to get caught up in the churn – focusing solely on audiences and business outcomes. But it is time we broaden our lens. Environmental sustainability shouldn’t be reserved for a select few campaigns, it should become a foundational principle on every campaign.
Advertising leaves a significant environmental footprint. But small, intentional decisions at the planning stage, can make a big difference. Embedding sustainability from the outset – not as an afterthought or added value – starts with education. Clients need to understand the environmental impact of media choices, from supply chain inefficiencies in programmatic buying to the carbon cost of autoplay video and excessive frequency. A single digital ad impression, as cited by Good Loop, can emit up to 1g of CO₂. Multiply that across millions of impressions, and the footprint adds up fast. The more we understand these unseen costs, the better placed we are to help clients make more responsible decisions.
Whilse sustainability isn’t yet embedded across every campaign or agency process, it is encouraging to see the industry move in this direction. Media partners offering carbon transparency - whether through emissions calculators, carbon offset programs, or sustainable inventory certifications – can be a powerful part of the shift. Platforms and publishers that provide greener delivery mechanisms or localised, high-attention inventory can reduce waste and improve impact.
Campaign design is another level we can begin to pull, and is something we can control. We can reduce over-serving through tighter and smarter frequency caps, consolidating buys to limit duplicative delivery paths, and opting for lighter creative assets to cut carbon output. Shifting from a quantity-first mindset to one that prioritises attention and engagement metrics over sheer impressions may help lead us and our clients to more responsible outcomes.
Sustainability is finally becoming part of the media conversation. The next step? Making it a shared KPI across the industry. It’s worth considering the introduction of environmental benchmarks alongside performance metrics in media contracts and plans. And how we, as agencies, can start to include sustainability considerations in more of our briefs and recommendations.
By treating sustainability as a core planning principle, we future-proof our work, strengthen our audience trust, and contribute meaningfully to broader sustainability and climate goals. There is still a long way to go – but as awareness grows, so too does the opportunity to lead. Let’s keep the conversation moving.