Sustainability is not about "what we say," but about "what we can prove"...
Sustainability has long been shaped by organizations' declarations of intent and future promises. However, by 2025, this area has reached a different threshold. The fundamental question for stakeholders now is:
"Can we show what we have achieved, not just what we aimed for?"
The latest data presents a striking picture. While renewable energy investments and production have reached historical records, global emissions are still not on a downward trend. This dual reality clearly reveals that sustainability is not only a technological issue, but also a matter of leadership, governance, and communication.
In areas improving, a significant threshold has been crossed, particularly in renewable energy scaling. However, areas deteriorating remind us that the overall impact is determined not only by what we produce, but also by how we consume it and how we encourage that consumption.
At this point, the role of advertising, marketing communications, and corporate communications agencies is critical. Communication is no longer just a tool for describing success; it's a mechanism for testing the validity of that success. Trust is built not with loud pronouncements, but with consistent, measurable, and verifiable data.
True leadership means placing sustainability at the heart of corporate decision-making, not just as a campaign theme. This means fewer claims, more evidence, and greater transparency.
Today, some areas of sustainability are clearly improving:
Renewable energy is scaling up.
Reporting and measurement standards are being strengthened.
Organizations are being pressured to use "evidence-based" communication.
Carbon measurement is starting to become standard in the advertising and media industry.
But at the same time, some risks are deepening:
Global fossil CO₂ emissions are near record levels.
The phase-out of coal is regional and fragile.
Total emissions are not decreasing.
The binding global framework for plastic pollution is not yet complete.
The fear of greenwashing is giving way to greenhushing. Greenhushing reduces the visibility of sustainability communication.
At this point, we are experiencing a critical turning point for the advertising and corporate communications industries.
The issue is no longer "how sustainable we appear"; it's about which claims we support with which data. Silence doesn't build trust. Exaggeration quickly leads to a loss of reputation. The leadership of the new era is built on fewer claims, more data, and greater transparency.
In sustainability, trust is built on evidence, not narratives.
Now let's take another detailed look at the areas for improvement in sustainability, the potential risks, and the role of communicators throughout this process.
When identifying areas for improvement and potential risks in sustainability, it will also be necessary to reveal the relationship and impact of advertising, marketing, and corporate communications professionals with the concepts of "Sustainability and ESG".
Sustainability is a very broad field of study encompassing the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of organizations. The ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) concept, in particular, is a business framework that provides organizations and investors with guidance on how to assess and measure non-financial risks and performance in the areas of "Environment, Social, and Governance," and how companies are acting in a sustainable manner. The social and corporate governance areas and their sub-components, included in both concepts, demonstrate the level of engagement that communicators, in particular, have with sustainability and ESG concepts.
Overall, when considered in sustainability reporting and sustainability performance evaluation indexes, the majority of metrics relate to areas such as social and corporate governance, human resources policies, procurement and purchasing policies, etc.
Sustainability efforts primarily encompass areas such as human resources policies and approaches, customer relationship processes, and parameters related to ethics and reputation in corporate governance. On the other hand, environmental issues, ranging from calculated carbon data and wastewater management to sustainability areas developed through the circular economy and monitoring the environmental approaches of other corporate stakeholders, are also fundamental aspects of sustainability.
The monitoring of all these topics in a transparent, third-party verified, and sustainable manner, within a framework of sustainable corporate governance, is also the responsibility of the company's communications managers. Sustainability is a shared and collaborative effort requiring the responsibility of all company units and employees. However, it is necessary to use an effective communication language to convey the company's values regarding sustainability, the interpretations of its performance indices, and its future commitments to its stakeholders with a visionary corporate perspective. Examples of these effective corporate discourses and activities, verified with qualitative data and shared transparently with societal stakeholders, are of great importance for the development and dissemination of public awareness on sustainability issues to a wider audience.
Therefore, "communication" remains key. Each sustainability metric provides crucial information about an organization's sustainability performance, and the language used to convey this information to the public is a crucial aspect, both in the reporting phase and in marketing and communication activities.
Following the assessments of the positions of advertising, marketing, and corporate communications professionals in sustainability efforts, I would like to evaluate our current situation in sustainability as of January 2026;
Areas for Improvement in Sustainability (2025):
Renewable energy is scaling up.
According to the Renewable Capacity Highlights 2025 report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency, 585 GW of new renewable energy capacity was added globally in 2024, bringing the total installed renewable capacity to 4,448 GW. More than 90% of the added capacity came from renewable sources.
This momentum accelerates even further in 2025.
According to Ember's analysis, global renewable capacity additions are expected to reach approximately 790-800 GW in 2025; this is the highest annual increase projected to date.
In terms of electricity generation, according to a Reuters analysis citing Ember data, global wind and solar power (5,072 TWh) surpassed coal power (4,896 TWh) for the first time in the first half of 2025.
In contrast, the Electricity 2025 report published by the International Energy Agency emphasizes that the rapid increase in global electricity demand continues to put pressure on overall emissions despite renewable growth. According to the same report, the carbon intensity of global electricity generation will decrease by an average of 3.6% annually between 2024 and 2027, but this decrease is not yet sufficient for absolute emission reduction.
The data is more encouraging on the energy front.
These data clearly demonstrate that energy conversion is technically possible.
Reporting and data quality are improving.
Corporate sustainability reporting entered a new phase in 2025. From 2025 onwards, sustainability reporting in many markets, particularly the EU, is being pushed towards a more evidence-based and comparable framework. “Green claims” regulations require companies to support their environmental claims with scientific data.
According to a statement published by the Council of the European Union on December 9, 2025, the EU has reached a political agreement to simplify the CSRD and sustainability due diligence obligations. The aim is to reduce the reporting burden while maintaining data reliability.
The same date appears in the European Commission's institutional reporting timeline as the political agreement for "simplification omnibus".
In parallel, according to the European Commission's Green Claims approach, companies are expected to support their environmental claims with scientific, verifiable, and third-party auditable data.
Measurement awareness is increasing in advertising and marketing communications:
The advertising industry has begun developing common methodologies for measuring its own carbon footprint. Media planning now considers not only reach and engagement, but also carbon intensity. Effective communication can be defined not just as visibility, but as the ability to create the same impact at a lower environmental cost. On the measurement side, the global media carbon measurement framework announced by the World Federation of Advertisers and Ad Net Zero demonstrates the beginning of an era of evidence-based communication in the advertising industry.
The Advertising and Marketing Communications Association (REPİD) launched Ad Net Zero Türkiye on May 6, 2025, with the participation of 20 leading signatories, in order to enable the sector to achieve end-to-end carbon zero targets and to lead its global transformation.
Ad Net Zero Türkiye Unit is a representative of Ad Net Zero Global and Europe, and operates under the umbrella of REPİD.
It operates under the umbrella of the Sustainability Executive Board. The Board has prepared guides under each heading to provide guidance to signatories and industry stakeholders, and has undertaken the task of guiding them through this major transformation. To this end, the Ad Net Zero Turkey: Green Kits Guide Launch Event was held on October 1, 2025. The Ad Net Zero Turkey Signatories and Partner Journey Meeting was held on January 15, 2026, and progress was made on Ad Net Zero's future action plans.
Ad Net Zero's action plan continues its work under 5 main headings;
Reducing emissions from the company's own operations.
Reducing Emissions from Advertising Production
Reducing Emissions from Media Planning and Buying
Reducing advertising emissions from awards and events.
Leveraging the Power of Advertising to Support Behavioral Change
During the “Green Transformation in Production: Ad Net Zero Turkey Guideline Compliance Meeting” held on February 10, 2026, the importance of measuring the emissions caused by the activities of the advertising and marketing communications sector and then managing this measured data was emphasized.
REPID guides the assessment of the current state of carbon emissions produced by the advertising and marketing communications sector, aiming to halve them by 2030 and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. In this context, Ad Net Zero plays a significant role in the efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the advertising and marketing communications sector through its informative and guiding publications and subsequent activities with stakeholders to develop a "joint roadmap."
While there are varying estimates regarding the climate impact of the digital ecosystem, analyses such as myclimate associate digital activities with 2–4% of global emissions. This includes advertising technologies and media distribution.
The advertising industry direct environmental footprint:
The advertising industry has become an actor that not only has to talk about sustainability but also has to reduce its own operational footprint.
Digital advertising is estimated to be responsible for approximately 2% of global carbon emissions (data centers, programmatic advertising, data transfer).
According to Good-Loop/Scope 3 research, a single digital advertising campaign can generate between 5 and 70 tons of CO₂e in a medium-sized campaign (depending on the format used, the weight of the video, and the targeting intensity).
Video ads consume 6–10 times more data and energy than static images; this increases carbon intensity, especially on mobile devices.
Media carbon measurement standard: optimizing marketing performance and climate performance together.
The advertising/marketing communications ecosystem is seeking a “common language” to measure its own footprint. The framework announced jointly by the WFA (World Federation of Advertisers) and Ad Net Zero, aimed at more consistently measuring media-related carbon emissions across different channels, is one sign of this transformation.
Ad Net Zero has also published practical roadmaps and "sustainable media" guides in line with the industry's 2030 net-zero goal.
Efforts to measure media emissions, developing along the lines of the WFA (World Federation of Advertisers) and Ad Net Zero, are shifting campaign planning to a new dimension. Reach/conversion/brand metrics + carbon intensity are becoming interconnected for evaluation.
This means a “new KPI” for agencies and corporate marketing teams: producing the same impact with less data/energy (e.g., file weight, video usage policy, targeting intensity, frequency optimization). As a result of these efforts;
Carbon measurement in advertising production, media planning, and digital distribution is becoming more “standardized.”
Some industry reports establish a link between emission reduction and operational efficiency (e.g., cost savings/strengthened relationship).
Areas Deteriorating in Sustainability (2025)
Total emissions are still not falling.
According to the Global Carbon Budget 2025 report published by the Global Carbon Project, global CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels and cement will increase by 1.1% in 2025, reaching approximately 38.1 GtCO₂. This is one of the highest annual emission levels ever recorded. The same report emphasizes that the rate of increase in emissions has slowed, but there has been no absolute decrease. UNEP's 2025 Emissions Gap Report indicates that an additional 35–55% emission reduction is needed to reach the 2030 and 2035 targets.
On the atmospheric front, according to measurements by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Global Monitoring Laboratory, the global average atmospheric CO₂ concentration throughout 2025 has ranged between 424–427 ppm; the monthly average measured at Mauna Loa station in December 2025 was 427.49 ppm. This is approximately 50% above pre-industrial levels.
The continued increase in emissions clearly shows that the problem is not technology but aggregate demand and the speed of decision-making.
The paradox of coal and transition.
On the coal front, the 2025 data presents a binary picture.
According to a Reuters report based on analyses by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, emissions from electricity generation in China and India are projected to fall by 2025. The decrease in China is estimated at approximately 40 MtCO₂e, while in India it is estimated at around 38 MtCO₂e in the first 11 months of the year. The main reason is that the growth in clean energy is exceeding the growth in demand.
In contrast, according to a Financial Times analysis based on Global Energy Monitor data, 55 GW of the 63 GW of new coal-fired power plant capacity planned to come online in 2026 is concentrated in China.
While coal-fired electricity production is declining in some regions, new coal-fired power plant investments are continuing, particularly in Asia. This demonstrates that the energy transition is not a linear process, but rather one shaped by political and economic choices.
Energy transformation is not a linear process; it involves both progress and regression simultaneously.
Plastic pollution and the global framework are still incomplete.
Although negotiations for a global plastics deal are progressing, a binding framework for 2025 is not yet complete. Current trends indicate that the amount of plastic waste could increase significantly in the coming decades.
Uncertainty persists in the plastics sector.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the INC-5.2 session of negotiations on the Plastic Pollution Agreement took place in Geneva from 5–15 August 2025, with progress made on the text, but a binding global agreement has not yet been reached.
In terms of long-term risk, according to the Global Plastics Outlook report published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, global plastic waste will nearly triple by 2060 if strong policy measures are not taken.
Greenwashing korkusu → greenhushing riski
In terms of trust, according to GlobeScan research findings reported by Trellis for 2025, only 36% of consumers say they have seen sustainability messages from brands (down from 49% in 2023). This decline reveals the visible impact of the greenhushing trend.
As scrutiny and public skepticism regarding sustainability claims increase, many companies are opting for a more withdrawn communication. This creates a new risk of silence, known as “greenhushing.” Research shows that a decrease in the visibility of sustainability messages does not automatically increase consumer trust; rather, it strengthens expectations for transparency. However, silence does not build trust. Trust is built through the transparent sharing of demonstrable progress. Silence is not a safe strategy; speaking with accurate data is the only sustainable approach.
Greenwashing and “greenhushing” transition
The advertising industry is no longer judged by 'how much it tells', but by 'how much it can prove'.
Global brand research conducted between 2024 and 2025 shows that approximately 40% of companies are downplaying sustainability activities in their communication (greenhushing) due to legal and reputational risks.
In response, regulatory pressure is increasing: penalties against misleading environmental claims are tightening in the EU. In the US and Asia-Pacific, the requirement for evidence-based environmental claims is becoming more widespread.
The Strategic Roles of Advertising, Marketing Communications, and Corporate Communicators in Sustainability:
The common conclusion of the studies is as follows:
While energy and industrial transformation is a technical problem,
Consumption and behavioral change is a communicative problem.
Advertising and corporate communications sectors:
When used incorrectly, it accelerates consumption.
When used correctly, they are critical actors that amplify sustainability goals with a ripple effect.
Communication is now a "transformative force".
Advertising and corporate communications agencies:
Shaping consumption norms,
Building corporate trust,
And accelerating the societal acceptance of sustainability goals.
They are critical actors.
Therefore, communication in the new era:
It's more important to build a chain of evidence than to generate slogans.
Measuring impact rather than creating impact,
It requires being trustworthy rather than just visible.
The indirect effect of marketing communication is a change in consumer behavior.
In sustainability communication, the need for evidence increases geometrically as the number of claims increases.
Behavioral science literature shows that consumption norms can be changed through communication.
Meta-analyses show that sustainability-focused messages, when framed correctly, can:
Purchase intention by 15–30%
Studies have shown that it can increase brand trust by 20%+.
However, the same studies show that when a "greenwashing perception" arises, brand value can decrease by 10–25%.
The communications sector is both an "influencing" and "influenced" sector.
Advertising and marketing communications agencies are at the heart of sustainability for two reasons:
Direct footprint: There are varying estimates regarding the digital ecosystem's (data centers + networks) share of emissions; assessments citing the IEA commonly suggest that data centers and telecommunications networks have a significant share of global emissions.
Indirect effect: Advertising can shape consumption norms and preferences, thereby increasing or decreasing carbon-intensive consumption.
The "chain of evidence" (claim → data → verification) is now the core of corporate communication.
The EU's "green claims" approach aims to justify environmental claims using scientific and verifiable methods.
The European Commission's Green Claims page clearly outlines the aim of this framework. Here are some good practices for advertising and corporate communications teams within this context:
- The claims should be presented using scope, limits, and metrics, rather than in "absolute" (greenest, 100% environmentally friendly) language.
- Explaining the “Scope 1–2–3” distinction and supply chain assumptions.
- This involves embedding third-party verification/standard references within the text.
Corporate communication: from sustainability to governance (ESG → G-weighted era)
The term "Governance (G)," which encompasses Environmental, Social, and Governance concepts and refers to corporate governance in ESG performance, holds great importance in sustainability. In this context, the roles and responsibilities of corporate communicators are rapidly expanding.
The new role of corporate communications is to be responsible not only for reputation management, but also for data consistency, reporting compliance, and stakeholder trust management. Global CEO surveys reveal that investors want to see “measurable progress” rather than just an ESG narrative.
In conclusion, the 2025 data shows us that the concept of "leadership in sustainability" is not about setting ambitious goals, but about having the courage to share progress honestly, measurably, and verifiably.
For advertising, marketing communications, and corporate communications firms, the new era is not about describing sustainability, but about making it visible in a way that the public can trust. True leadership is not about describing sustainability, but about making progress visible by demonstrating it.
Communicating the corporate narrative and the evidence presented in sustainability reports to societal stakeholders is of paramount importance. Sustainability is no longer just a matter of communication; it has become a test of the accuracy of that communication.
In this context, Sustainability Auditing and the ratings received from Sustainability and ESG Performance Organizations are also at the heart of organizations' sustainability efforts. This rating requires organizations to be involved in sustainability efforts and improvements with all their stakeholders, including employees, customers, suppliers, competitors, public groups, media, universities, etc.
Because, especially for Sustainability and ESG Performance Rating Organizations (such as EcoVadis, SustainAnalytcis), data is obtained through the collaborative efforts of all units within the organization. For example, training units communicate training hours and content, while the environmental department shares data on the organization's environmental policies. Purchasing units report on the sustainability performance of suppliers, while the recycling processes of products are monitored by production units. All this data enables organizations to initiate a sustainable improvement process through "Corrective Action Plans." These corrective action plans are areas of action that organizations can develop with their community stakeholders. In these areas, the communication language, corporate governance approach, advertising and communication discourse aim to reflect the organization's progress in sustainability, changes in consumption habits, and to present the organization's data to stakeholders with supporting evidence.
In corporate structures where sustainability is presented with evidence-based, measurable data, the fundamental task of communication is to ensure and strengthen transparent and sustainable stakeholder communication. For areas of improvement in sustainability to increase further and for deteriorating areas to improve day by day, organizations need to develop successful and effective sustainability/ESG performance management across all their units. Much of this development is not solely related to the organization's quality, sustainability, corporate communication, etc., departments.
For example, a sustainable supply structure is crucial for sustainable supply plans. Purchasing departments are responsible for this. How products returned by customers will be integrated into the circular economy is within the purview of manufacturing units. For these and many similar issues, many other units within the organization, besides the unit managing the main process, may also be responsible. However, it is very important that the organization has a corporate governance approach for all its units and all its issues, and improvements will be achieved through measurable data obtained from the organization's stakeholders. It is necessary to establish an effective marketing and communication language with all internal and external stakeholders, whom we can define as the organization's stakeholders, and to maintain this communication with stakeholders in a sustainable way, focusing on "Sustainability". What is important now is not so much the narrative, but being able to present the organization's sustainability/ESG performance transparently to all stakeholders with measurable data, and to ensure effective communication and raise awareness with all stakeholders in order to ensure the holistic progress of society in sustainability.
Conclusion
The global sustainability transition is emerging as a complex process characterized by an accelerated transformation in energy systems alongside limited improvements in emission trends. While increased renewable energy investments and the standardization of sustainability reporting offer significant indicators of progress, the persistence of high global emissions demonstrates that the energy transition is linked not only to technology investments but also to consumption patterns, economic incentives, and governance mechanisms.
In this context, the advertising, marketing, and corporate communications sectors play a critical role in the sustainability transformation. Communication has become not only a tool for describing sustainability performance but also an effective mechanism in shaping sustainable consumption norms. Today, the credibility of sustainability communication is evaluated not so much by the visibility of claims but by the data-supported nature and independent verifiability of these claims.
Consequently, leadership in sustainability is defined not by stating ambitious goals, but by its capacity to demonstrate progress in a measurable, transparent, and verifiable manner.
References
International Renewable Energy Agency (2025). Renewable Capacity Statistics.
International Energy Agency (2025). Electricity Market Report.
Global Carbon Project (2025). Global Carbon Budget.
United Nations Environment Programme (2025). Emissions Gap Report.
OECD (2024). Global Plastics Outlook.
World Federation of Advertisers (2024). Media Carbon Measurement Framework.
Ad Net Zero (2024). Advertising Sustainability Action Plan.
https://www.adnetzeroturkiye.org
Dr. Banu Yılmaz
Sustainlook Sustainability / ESG Consulting
English (UK) 
Türkçe