Why your campaign's carbon footprint is the metric you can't ignore for 2026

Carbon emissions reporting will soon become a key metric for campaign performance and with growing pressures with mandatory reporting it is going to be higher up on the priority list for 2026. Brands and agencies want to be able to measure the true impact of all of their advertising activities which includes new measurement channels such as Search and Influencer Marketing, as well as DOOH, OOH, TV, Print.

For years, our industry has been laser-focused on optimising for performance: clicks, conversions, reach, and return on ad spend. These metrics are the bedrock of our trade. But as we look towards 2026 and beyond, a new, critical layer of performance is emerging—one that will redefine what a successful campaign looks like: sustainability.

The conversation around environmental impact is no longer confined to the CSR department. With regulatory frameworks like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) on the horizon, mandatory, audited reporting on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the entire value chain will become standard practice for thousands of companies. Advertising, a significant component of that value chain, is squarely in the spotlight. For IAB UK members, this presents both a challenge and a tremendous opportunity to lead.

The primary challenge has been a lack of a complete picture. How can you manage what you can’t measure? While progress has been made, key channels have remained a blind spot.

Closing the Measurement Gap Across the Entire Media Plan

At Impact Plus, their mission since 2020 has been to support advertisers, agencies, publishers and adtech businesses in measuring and reducing the GHG emissions from their media campaigns - making sustainability a core pillar of any marketing strategy.

Impact Plus have expanded their capabilities and have now integrated two of the fastest-growing and most pivotal channels into their measurement scope: 

Search (SEA) and Influencer Marketing

• Search: A strategic channel that represents a significant share of digital advertising investments.
• Influencer Marketing: An essential and continuously growing lever in modern brand communication strategies.

By adding these to their existing measurement scope—which already covers Digital, Print, DOOH, OOH, liner TV, CTV and audio they are providing what advertisers have been asking for: a comprehensive and actionable view of the carbon impact across their entire marketing spend.

From Mandatory Reporting to Actionable Reduction

With regulations like CSRD looming, robust measurement is the first step toward compliance. But the goal should still aim to go beyond simple reporting, during measurement into action and turning to solution that identify the priority levers to reduce those emissions without compromising performance.

Impact Plus CEO, Vincent Villaret, recently stated, “Since day one, our ambition has been to cover the full advertising spectrum. Adding Search and Influencer Marketing is a key milestone that brings us closer to this vision: empowering brands to take concrete action across all channels for more responsible marketing”. The strong client demand for these new levers before they even launched demonstrates the industry's readiness for this evolution.

The Time to Act is Now

The shift towards sustainable advertising is accelerating. It’s a movement driven by consumer expectation, regulatory pressure, and a genuine desire within our industry to foster more responsible media buying. For brands, agencies, publishers and adtech businesses, understanding and managing their environmental footprint is becoming a non-negotiable aspect of business strategy.

Getting ahead of the 2026 requirements means putting the tools and processes in place today. A holistic view of your advertising carbon footprint is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’; it’s the new standard for performance.

To prepare your strategies for the future and learn how to build a more responsible media plan, we invite you to get in touch with Impact Plus.