Sustainable Media in 2026: What Media Agencies Are Really Doing

Sustainability has been on the media industry's agenda for years. Agencies talk about it in credentials decks. Advertisers reference it in briefs. Conferences dedicate entire tracks to it.

But when you look at what is actually happening inside agency organisations, the picture is more complicated than the rhetoric suggests.

Abintus has just published its Media Sustainability Landscape Study 2026, the first independent assessment of sustainable media practices across 12 individual agencies from five major groups including WPP, Omnicom, Havas, IPG and independent agencies.

The findings are encouraging in places. And uncomfortable in others.

Why This Research Matters Now

The context for this study is important.

According to the World Economic Forum, digital advertising infrastructure generates around 4% of global CO2 emissions.

That is more than the entire aviation industry, which accounts for approximately 2.5%. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in media planning, buying and optimisation, that figure is set to grow.

At the same time, the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) has fundamentally changed the reporting landscape.

Advertising activity now falls squarely within Scope 3 emissions. For a growing number of companies, this is not a voluntary reporting exercise. It is a legal obligation.

The question is not whether sustainable media matters. It clearly does.

The question is whether your agency is genuinely ready to support you on this.

What Agencies Are Doing Well

The headline finding is positive. Every single agency we surveyed has implemented sustainability initiatives.

83% participate in Ad Net Zero. Most have established internal Green Teams. Many have appointed dedicated sustainable media leads. 42% are pursuing or have already achieved B Corp certification.

That is a meaningful foundation. But there is a critical gap between activity and strategy.

Only 60% of agencies have a formal, documented sustainability strategy. The remaining 40% are operating through individual initiatives without an overarching framework.

That matters. Structured approaches deliver better outcomes, create accountability, and give clients greater confidence.

Agencies operating without a formal strategy risk inconsistency and may struggle to meet evolving client expectations as CSRD obligations bite.

If you ask your agency for their sustainability strategy and they cannot produce one, that tells you something important about their level of commitment.

The Client Demand Problem

Here is the finding that should concern every advertiser.

Despite all agencies having sustainability initiatives in place, 20% of their clients are not requesting sustainable media solutions at all. Across 60% of agencies surveyed, fewer than half of their clients are actively asking for sustainable approaches. No agency reported universal client engagement.

When agencies proactively propose sustainable approaches to clients who have not asked, only around 20% respond positively. The majority indicate it is not a priority. A small proportion express active opposition.

This is not a failure of agency ambition. It is a failure of advertiser education.

And the implication is clear.

If you are not asking your agency about sustainability, there is a reasonable chance they are not raising it with you either.

The Measurement Gap

Over 80% of agencies use some form of carbon calculator for media campaign emissions. That sounds like progress.

But every single tool identified in our research is proprietary. WPP has its own. Havas has its own. Omnicom has its own. There is no universal standard in active use across the industry.

Without a common methodology, you cannot compare performance across agency relationships, benchmark against peers, or aggregate data meaningfully. Proprietary tools measured differently by each agency make that kind of accountability impossible.

There is a deeper problem.

These tools are used reactively. Agencies deploy them only when clients specifically ask. The vast majority of campaigns are planned and executed without any emissions measurement at all, not because the tools do not exist, but because nobody has made it a requirement.

Only 17% of agencies include sustainability reporting in their Post Campaign Analyses as a matter of course. 67% only do so when a client explicitly asks. The remaining 17% never do.

The Global Media Sustainability Framework (GMSF) exists specifically to solve this problem. Universal adoption of a common framework is not optional. It is the foundation on which credible industry progress depends.

Make GMSF-aligned reporting a standard requirement with your agency today.

The Expertise Gap

60% of agencies now have in-house sustainability experts or dedicated teams. 60% rate their own knowledge as "very knowledgeable." No agency described itself as unknowledgeable.

But the practical reality is more nuanced.

In most agencies, sustainability knowledge is concentrated in specialist roles. When those individuals are unavailable, the ability to advise clients diminishes. The challenge is not just creating centres of excellence. It is embedding sustainability literacy across all planning and buying functions.

The best agencies have moved beyond hiring a single sustainability lead. They are integrating sustainability KPIs into standard campaign metrics, developing internal training programmes, and embedding sustainability into day-to-day planning decisions.

Notable examples from our research include Havas UKI's "Impact in Every Role" programme, where every employee sets a personal sustainability goal, and Mediaplus Germany's Responsible Media Invest framework, which integrates ESG scoring directly into media planning.

The question to ask your agency is not simply "do you have a sustainability lead?" It is "how is sustainability knowledge distributed across the team managing my account?"

The Most Promising Innovation in This Study

One finding stands out above all others.

One major agency group has adopted what we call the opt-out model. Sustainable media planning becomes the default for all client work. Clients must actively choose not to have it applied. And critically, none of their clients has chosen to opt out.

This is a genuinely important development. Rather than waiting for clients to ask, agencies that adopt sustainable media as the default shift the entire dynamic. The conversation moves from "should we do this?" to "how do we do this better?" And the evidence shows that when given the choice, clients do not walk away from it.

Ask your agency directly: is sustainable media your default position for all client work? If it is not, ask why not.

Where the Industry is Heading

Despite the gaps, most agencies believe client interest in sustainable media will increase in the coming years. Three forces are converging to make this likely.

CSRD reporting obligations are expanding. As more advertisers discover that media activity constitutes a significant portion of their Scope 3 emissions, demand for agency support will grow.

The business case is also strengthening. More evidence is emerging that sustainable media planning can improve campaign performance, not compromise it. As one Chief Impact Officer told us directly: "On the whole we find sustainable media is more efficient and effective."

And measurement is improving. As GMSF adoption grows, client confidence in the data will follow.

The agencies investing now in expertise, tools, and client education are building a structural advantage. The ones waiting for clients to ask are falling behind.

Conclusion and Next Steps

This study paints a picture of an industry moving in the right direction, but not yet moving fast enough. The intent is real. The infrastructure is being built. But the gap between aspiration and systematic, measurable action remains significant.

For mid-sized global advertisers, the practical implications are clear.

Download the full Media Sustainability Landscape Study 2026 to access all findings, agency benchmarks, and our complete recommendations for advertisers.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

Based on our research, here is what you should do now:

1. Ask your agency for their sustainability strategy Request a copy of their formal sustainability policy. If they do not have one, that is your answer about the depth of their commitment.

2. Require GMSF-aligned emissions reporting Any carbon measurement not aligned to the Global Media Sustainability Framework is harder to benchmark, compare and trust. Make this a standard requirement.

3. Include sustainability criteria in your next pitch The media agency pitch process is the most effective moment to set your expectations. Over 75% of agencies are already including sustainability questions in RFI and RFP processes. You should be driving that conversation, not reacting to it.

4. Understand your Scope 3 media footprint Commission a media sustainability audit. You cannot manage what you do not measure. And under CSRD, not measuring may no longer be an option.

5. Ask about the opt-out model Work with your agency to make sustainable media the default for all your activity. The evidence from this study is clear: when clients are offered this approach, none have chosen to walk away from it.

Sustainable media is not a constraint on performance. It is increasingly an enabler of it. The advertisers who understand that now will be best positioned when regulatory and reputational pressures intensify further.

Contact us to discuss your media sustainability position, or book a consultation with our Sustainable Media team to understand what a practical programme could look like for your organisation.