Arum Nixon.
The AdNews end-of-year Perspectives, looking back at 2025 and forward to next year.
With new frameworks, shared data and growing momentum, advertising is proving that sustainability and effectiveness can go hand in hand, writes Ad Net Zero’s Arum Nixon.
This year marked a major milestone for sustainability in our industry. For the first time, every part of advertising’s supply chain – from media vendors and ad production to agencies and marketing teams – came together under Ad Net Zero to find ways to tackle the climate emergency.
This level of industry-wide collaboration is unprecedented, driven by a shared commitment to take accountability for advertising’s own emissions – on par with the aviation industry, at 2-3% of global emissions – and to lead the transition to a more sustainable future.
Despite global political headwinds and local politicisation of net zero, Australian businesses have shown genuine commitment to action – driven in part by legislative pressure requiring more companies to measure their environmental impact and develop credible plans to reduce it.
Brands aren’t necessarily shouting about their sustainability credentials, but don’t be fooled – this is a serious topic in the board room. Companies are looking to future-proof their operations, addressing climate change risks and positioning to take advantage of new opportunities.
Within the advertising industry, similar trends are emerging. This year, SBS released its first sustainability report and introduced products to help advertisers take action. Likewise, Google now provides reporting tools that measure the greenhouse gas emissions generated by clients’ campaigns.
These steps alone won’t transform the industry – but they are necessary foundations for future impact.
Such action also creates a platform for stronger business relationships too. The advertising industry can be a key ally in supply-chain decarbonisation, helping CMOs lead by showing that marketing spend can cut emissions without compromising budget or effectiveness.
You can’t reduce what you can’t measure
Ad Net Zero’s most significant project this year has been the development of a voluntary framework to measure media’s greenhouse gas emissions transparently, consistently and accurately, across channels and suppliers: the Global Media Sustainability Framework or GMSF.
This project highlights the power of Ad Net Zero as a force for collaboration. Our supporters co-created this framework alongside colleagues worldwide, baking consensus in from the start and ensuring all aspects of our industry are represented.
The framework will align data solutions, such as carbon calculators and reporting, to a single, voluntary standard. Crucially, it fosters an activity-based rather than spend-based approach to measuring emissions, so brands can reduce their footprint and boost effectiveness without cutting spend.
Brands are already seeing benefits for both performance and the planet, thanks to more granular emissions data. In September, WPP Media won the Industry Change category of the MFA Awards for its work slashing greenhouse gas emissions at scale in its digital supply chain – while improving campaign performance.
Over the coming year, Ad Net Zero will work with supporters to build the necessary tools, systems and capability to scale this kind of impact across the industry. Our ambition is to make measurement and reduction of media’s emissions a core part of the way we work.
Collaboration will accelerate action
Advertising’s supply chain is an inter-connected ecosystem of vendors and advisers. Individual efforts to reduce environmental impact matter, but they’re not enough to drive the scale of change that’s needed.
The past year of Ad Net Zero has shown the power of getting all stakeholders around the table, to share their experience and challenges, and co-create solutions.
In 2026, we’ll see growing collective momentum within the industry. Measuring advertising’s emissions is only the start. Once we experience the scale of impact and understand that we have the tools to reduce it, we’ll be more motivated and empowered to take action.
Arum Nixon is Australia Chapter Lead of Ad Net Zero Australia
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