IAB Europe State of Readiness Sustainability in Digital Advertising Report 2026

IAB Europe’s fourth annual State of Readiness – Sustainability in Digital Advertising Report provides a comprehensive snapshot of how the European digital advertising ecosystem is progressing across both environmental and social sustainability.

For the first time, the 2026 edition expands beyond environmental impact to assess wider social sustainability themes, including privacy, media plurality, accessibility, diversity, responsible media, and accountability, reflecting the industry’s growing recognition that sustainability is about both planet and people.

Conducted between November 2025 and January 2026, the survey gathered 135 responses from companies and associations active across all European markets.

Key Findings from the Report:

• First aggregate Double Materiality Analysis (DMA) shows social impacts (privacy, media plurality) rank above environmental impacts on combined financial and impact materiality.
  
• AI concerns top the ecosystem’s agenda: Over half (56%) of respondents cite AI Content Ingestion & Traffic as the top ecosystem challenge, marking a significant change in the past four years, as AI-related concerns overtake long-standing priorities such as addressability and measurement
  
• Ad fraud rises significantly: Nearly 30% of respondents now list ad fraud as a major ecosystem challenge, compared with single-digit levels in earlier surveys.
  
• Regulation overtakes Corporate Social Responsibility: Compliance with regulation is now the leading driver of sustainability action, reflecting the growing influence of frameworks such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
  
• Employer reputation influences sustainability efforts: New this year, employer reputation ranks above client expectations as a driver for organisational action, pointing to sustainability’s role in attracting and retaining talent.
  
• Environmental measurement accelerates: The proportion of companies estimating environmental impact across all campaigns has doubled from 2025 to 2026.
  
• Environmental actions consistently outpace social actions (≈10pp gap). Carbon reduction levers are more widely adopted than social impact measures.
  
• Reporting readiness varies: A significant share of respondents (32%) have not and do not plan to publish sustainability reports, illustrating uneven readiness across the ecosystem.

Strengthening Social Sustainability Through Industry Collaboration

In response to this year’s findings, IAB Europe’s Sustainability Standards Committee has enhanced its focus on social sustainability guidance, education, and best practices, alongside ongoing environmental initiatives.

Access the full report below and explore additional resources via our Sustainability Hub.