IAB Europe's Beyond Reach: Mapping the Social Impact of Digital Advertising and Media

IAB Europe’s Beyond Reach: Mapping the Social Impact of Digital Advertising and Media uncovers how the digital advertising ecosystem is beginning to evaluate and manage its social sustainability footprint across Europe and beyond.

While recent industry attention has focused heavily on the environmental footprint of digital advertising, particularly carbon emissions, this report highlights a critical blind spot: the social impacts of media investment remain largely unmeasured, unstandardised, and undervalued.

Developed by our Sustainability Standards Committee, and drawing on submissions to a multi-stakeholder Request for Information (RFI), structured mapping of emerging initiatives, and expert interviews, the report provides a clear picture of how the industry is beginning to address social topics such as media plurality, misinformation, accessibility, and user privacy across the media supply chain.

Key findings reveal:

• The industry is increasingly approaching issues through the lens of social impact, with activity emerging across the assessment of media content and context, organisations, measurement infrastructure, and planning and buying practices.
  
• Social impact measurement is fragmented, with no shared definitions, boundaries, KPIs, or sector-specific social sustainability standards across markets and media types.
  
• Focus on social impact remains limited and uneven, meaning there is space for responsible media practices to evolve and scale different markets and media types.
  
• Coordinated standards are needed, including interoperable KPIs that capture qualitative media value without bias and that can be applied consistently in planning and buying.
  
• Responsible media buying goes beyond avoiding harmful content - it requires management of various social risks and opportunities. Meaningful progress depends on directing investment toward media that delivers public value.

The findings and gaps identified will guide the committee’s 2026 work programme, supporting the development of practical guidance, shared frameworks, and collaborative actions aimed at driving consistent progress across the industry.

Read the press release here, and download your copy of the full report below.