Perion's latest whitepaper explores how media sustainability is moving beyond reporting requirements to become a core driver of campaign effectiveness.
Perion Marketing
15th Jun 2026
Public conversation around sustainability may have softened, but the operational imperative has not.
For advertisers and agencies, sustainability is moving beyond messaging into the mechanics of media itself: how campaigns are planned, bought, delivered, and optimized.
That shift matters because sustainability is no longer just about responsibility. It is increasingly about efficiency, transparency, and performance.
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A few years ago, sustainability dominated the advertising agenda. Then the conversation slowed, driven by regulatory complexity and growing greenwashing risk.
But beneath that quieter discourse, the work has continued.
In 2025 alone:
This is not an industry stepping back. It is an industry moving from announcement to implementation.
Sustainability is often framed as a brand values issue. In practice, it is now a business requirement.
Under the EU’s CSRD, advertisers must account for Scope 3 emissions, including media. And simple spend-based estimates can overstate emissions by up to 450%, making accurate measurement essential.
At the same time, client expectations are rising, with sustainability increasingly built into procurement criteria.
But the most compelling driver is performance.
The largest sources of carbon in digital advertising are often the same sources of inefficiency: non-viewable impressions, fraud, duplicated delivery, and overly complex supply paths.
Reducing them improves both outcomes and emissions.
Dive deeper into the data, frameworks, and case studies shaping media sustainability.
Download the whitepaper
Advertising emissions are generated across the value chain: production, ad tech infrastructure, delivery, and device usage.
The scale is significant:
Even more concentrated: just 2% of sites can account for 50% of emissions.
This highlights a clear opportunity. The most effective way to reduce emissions is to reduce waste.
Carbon is no longer just a reporting metric. It is increasingly being integrated into the same workflow as viewability, brand safety, and fraud.
That changes its role.
Instead of being reviewed after a campaign, carbon can now influence decisions during it, shaping how media is bought and optimized in real time.
This is where sustainability becomes operational.
The most meaningful progress is happening at the execution level.
AI-driven optimization is enabling advertisers to reduce waste as campaigns run, improving both performance and carbon efficiency.
At Perion, solutions like Outmax apply this approach across channels, helping advertisers optimize toward more efficient impressions and supply paths.
Results demonstrate the alignment:
Sustainability is no longer just planned. It is optimized in real time.
AI is increasing energy demand across the industry. By 2028, it is expected to account for around 19% of global data center power consumption, with much of that still powered by fossil fuels.
At the same time, it is the most effective tool for reducing waste.
AI can eliminate low-value impressions, optimize supply paths, and improve targeting at scale. In one case, carbon-aware optimization delivered a 9% reduction in emissions alongside significant performance gains.
That is the paradox: AI is both expanding and reducing advertising’s footprint.
The fundamentals are clear:
The biggest gains come from better execution, not bigger claims.
Media sustainability is not disappearing. It is maturing.
What was once a specialist topic is becoming part of everyday media decision-making. And increasingly, the same actions that improve performance also reduce carbon intensity.
At Perion, we believe sustainability is becoming part of what defines good media.
The quiet imperative is still here.
It is just no longer about who talks the most. It is about who builds the most efficient systems.
Dive into the full whitepaper to understand how sustainability is becoming a core driver of media effectiveness.
Consumers don’t move through a linear path to purchase anymore.
Nominee: Emma Wood, Head of Investment, PHD Aus Next up in our Leading Lights
Perion’s leadership team is thrilled to be at Cannes Lions 2024, ready to connect with brands and industry leaders to discuss what the future holds for omnichannel advertising.
