By Kelsey Corlett, Marketing Activation Consultant at CvE Marketing Consultancy
A recent study on sustainable advertising by Microsoft Advertising (2024), reveals that 91% of respondents believe companies have the power to positively impact the environment by optimizing business practices. Similarly, 88% of global respondents express a preference for sustainable purchases whenever possible. These insights spotlight the crucial shift towards sustainability in business – and marketing is at the center of this change.
While this study paints a positive picture of the general attitudes and behaviors of global professionals towards sustainability, there is still much to be achieved in the marketing industry to put sustainability at the core.
In 2025, sustainable marketing will no longer be just a “nice-to-have” but a necessity for businesses to thrive in an eco-conscious marketplace. Brands must integrate sustainability into their marketing strategies by adopting new technologies, tracking their environmental impact, and by working with partners who share their sustainability values. Media buyers and regulatory bodies should also place sustainability at the center of their business models.
This article outlines five key trends in sustainable marketing that will help shape the future. These trends act as a guideline to marketers wanting to take more tangible steps towards eco-conscious marketing.
Carbon footprint measurement across all marketing channels
The call for transparency is intensifying as more brands recognize the importance of monitoring the carbon footprint of their entire marketing ecosystem – not just digital channels. From traditional media buys to event sponsorships and even packaging decisions, brands are increasingly assessing the emissions linked to their marketing efforts. This holistic view enables companies to understand their overall environmental impact and make informed choices about where to reduce carbon output.
- What’s changing: As carbon-measuring technologies improve, tools for tracking emissions in both digital and traditional marketing, such as Scope3, will become essential. Scope3 is a collaborative sustainability platform aimed at decarbonizing media and advertising. The platform just recently garnered a $20 million investment to help accelerate the development of its platform, showcasing the important role that sustainability will take on the marketing stage in the near future (Businesswire, 2023). From the carbon cost of printing materials to energy usage in digital campaigns, more brands will prioritize end-to-end tracking and optimization.
- Actionable tip: Start measuring the carbon impact across all marketing activities—not just digital—and partner with carbon-neutral vendors wherever possible. Use this data to inform decisions about which channels to emphasize or reduce based on their environmental impact.
Integrating sustainability as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
Sustainability is rapidly evolving into a primary measure of success, alongside traditional KPIs like engagement rates and ROI. By tracking metrics such as energy usage per campaign and emissions per media channel, brands can holistically assess the effectiveness and environmental costs of their campaigns.
- What’s changing: As sustainability expectations grow, marketers will need to add sustainability KPIs to standard performance dashboards. Metrics such as carbon footprint per thousand impressions (eCPM) or emissions offset percentage are becoming valuable in understanding the full cost of a campaign, beyond immediate financial returns.
- Actionable tip: Begin integrating sustainability metrics into your KPIs across the marketing mix. Benchmark these metrics to understand where your campaigns are now, and develop improvement targets to both reduce emissions and enhance cost-effectiveness over time.
Partnering with sustainable media and production companies
Brands that engage with environmentally committed partners across their marketing activities demonstrate a robust dedication to sustainability. This extends beyond digital platforms to include media buying agencies, production companies, and even the venues for live events.
- What’s changing: Media agencies and production partners that prioritize renewable energy, eco-friendly material usage, and waste reduction are becoming the preferred choice for sustainability-focused brands. By choosing these partners, brands not only reduce their environmental impact but also communicate their values effectively to the consumer.
- Actionable tip: Audit your vendor list, including media agencies, event coordinators, and production companies, to assess their sustainability initiatives. Transition to partners committed to eco-friendly practices and ensure they can provide transparency on their environmental impact.
Sustainable production and delivery of all marketing materials
The demand for sustainable practices in marketing materials is growing, with consumers and regulators alike pushing for greener solutions. From digital content hosted on renewable-powered servers to print materials made with recycled paper, brands are expected to prioritize eco-friendly production.
- What’s changing: Hosting providers, content delivery networks (CDNs), and production houses are beginning to prioritize renewable energy and reduce waste, with companies like Google and Microsoft leading the way. Marketers will need to ensure all materials, both physical and digital, are produced and delivered in the most sustainable way possible.
- Actionable tip: Partner with hosting services, CDN providers, and print manufacturers that commit to renewable energy and sustainable material usage. Make these choices transparent in your communications to show consumers your commitment to reducing environmental impact across all channels.
Collaborating with sustainability-focused Influencers and advocates
As consumers increasingly seek authenticity, partnering with influencers and content creators who advocate for sustainability can significantly enhance brand credibility. These partnerships help brands resonate with eco-conscious audiences and convey a genuine commitment to environmental responsibility.
- Why it matters: Consumers trust influencers who authentically embody their values, making eco-conscious creators ideal partners for brands aiming to establish a sustainable image. Working with these influencers builds stronger connections with environmentally aware consumers and amplifies a brand’s sustainable message.
- Actionable tip: Seek out influencers with a track record of promoting sustainability. Ensure that these partnerships align with your brand’s mission to create campaigns that feel genuine and support long-term eco-friendly brand positioning.
Here are some key case studies that showcase brands successfully pioneering sustainable marketing practices, setting an example across industries for how marketing can effectively contribute to broader sustainability goals.
Patagonia: leading with purpose and transparency
Patagonia is often recognized as a pioneer in sustainable marketing, (MISIO, 2021). The brand’s commitment to the environment is ingrained in its mission to “save our home planet,” and this is consistently reflected in its marketing strategy. Patagonia’s campaigns emphasize product longevity, repair services, and initiatives to encourage customers to buy less and repair more. In 2019, they even ran the now-famous “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign, urging consumers to consider the environmental impact of their purchases and make thoughtful, less frequent buying decisions.
Unilever: setting standards with transparent sustainability KPIs
Unilever has integrated sustainability as a core metric within its overall marketing performance, setting a standard for how KPIs can be utilized to drive eco-conscious decisions. Through its “Sustainable Living Plan,” Unilever has committed to cutting its environmental impact by half while doubling its business by 2030 (Unilever, 2011). The company tracks specific KPIs like energy consumption, water usage, and waste production across its product lines, reporting on these metrics in its marketing communications and sustainability reports.
IKEA: scaling sustainability with circular design and eco-conscious campaigns
IKEA has taken substantial steps toward sustainable marketing through its commitment to circularity—designing products meant to be reused, resold, or recycled. Through initiatives like their “Buy Back & Resell” program, which encourages customers to bring back used furniture for store credit, IKEA promotes sustainability while creating touchpoints for brand engagement (Global Citizen, 2020). IKEA’s “People & Planet Positive” campaign further reinforces its goals of achieving 100% renewable energy use and reducing overall emissions by 2030, resonating with audiences who value long-term, impactful change.
Conclusion
Besides the glaring necessity for more sustainable marketing, companies have much to gain from eco-conscious initiatives. Sustainable marketing will help brands to enhance their image, retain relevance and meet the rising consumer demand for eco-conscious practices. Additionally, it will open brands up to new partnerships as sustainability becomes a prerequisite for business collaboration. Finally, in the long term brands can gain cost savings by optimizing energy use and increasing operational efficiency.
In 2025, brands that continue to engage in unsustainable marketing practices risk being left behind. Sustainable marketing is not a passing phase—it’s the future, and the brands that succeed will be those that lead the way with bold, measurable actions. For a time brand safety and viewability metrics were seen as a “nice-to-have”, and have since become core metrics for any successful campaign. While the KPI’s and concepts discussed in this article may still seem quite foreign for many advertisers, we need to actively incorporate them into our day-to-day operations in the coming months if we plan to move marketing in a more sustainable direction.
From carbon tracking to eco-conscious partnerships, this isn’t just about doing what’s right for the planet; it’s about securing long-term business success in a world where consumers demand transparency, accountability, and real change.
How many of your business practices already place sustainability at the center? Are you measuring the impact that your brand’s marketing initiatives have on the environment? Reach out to CvE for more help on reducing your emissions.
