Andy Powell, Co-Founder and CEO, Conscious Media.As global climate urgency converges with digital transformation, sustainable digital media is fast becoming a strategic priority, not just a CSR checkbox. In the MENA region, where rapid growth in digital consumption meets a deepening national focus on sustainability, a new wave of innovation is reshaping how brands approach media planning, measurement, and responsibility.
We’ve seen firsthand how media efficiency and carbon reduction are no longer separate conversations. They are now one and the same. This convergence is accelerating across the Middle East, driven by progressive regulation, new measurement standards, and the rising expectations of consumers and governments alike.
UAE leads with Carbon Accountability Law
The UAE’s recent law requiring companies to record and disclose their carbon footprint marks a pivotal shift. It sets a clear precedent: businesses must now be accountable not just for their operations, but for their digital emissions, including media.
For the advertising industry, this is a wake-up call. Brands must move beyond vanity metrics and start tracking the true environmental cost of media campaigns. This regulation is already prompting procurement and marketing teams to evaluate partners and platforms that can demonstrate carbon intelligence and sustainability impact.
At Conscious Media, we’re helping brands respond with integrated solutions that deliver better media efficiency and reduced carbon emissions, using Ad Net Zero’s Global Media Sustainability Framework (GMSF) as the single source of truth. By optimizing media across YouTube, Meta and programmatic channels we empower advertisers to enhance ROAS, reduce carbon and futureproof compliance.
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030: Media meets sustainability
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 is injecting unprecedented resources into sustainable development across all sectors. From tourism to fintech, the Kingdom is investing in digital infrastructure that aligns with environmental goals. This includes increased scrutiny of how public and private entities run media and communications campaigns.
We’re seeing strong interest from verticals like destination marketing / travel, government and financial services, where national goals around climate, innovation, and transparency are converging. There’s a growing understanding that sustainable media isn’t just about ad delivery, it’s about making every dollar and every gram of CO₂E count.
Technology partnerships that deliver impact
In our mission to build media strategies that balance ROAS with sustainability, Conscious Media has partnered with the likes of Greenbids and SeenThis. Greenbids brings AI media efficiency and carbon reduction to Meta, YouTube and Open Web. SeenThis, meanwhile, enables instant loading and reduced emissions through adaptive streaming for creative assets on programmatic buys.
Together, these partnerships help agencies and brands move from intent to impact. By embedding sustainability into the core of planning and trading desks, we have helped marketing teams shift from passive carbon offsetting to active carbon avoidance.
Better measurement: The new GMSF at Cannes Lions
A major catalyst in this movement will be the updated Global Media Sustainability Framework (GMSF), which will be announced at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival.
For partners in the MENA region, this will be a game-changer. Better measurement means clearer accountability, stronger benchmarks, and easier integration into ESG reporting. It also gives marketers a more holistic understanding of how campaign decisions, from ad formats to platform mix, directly influence carbon outcomes.
A cultural and commercial carbon reduction movement
Sustainable digital media is not a niche or a nice to have, it’s here to stay. In the MENA region, it’s being driven by both top-down regulation and bottom-up innovation. And for brands, this is not just about doing the right thing, it’s about unlocking better outcomes across the funnel, from cost efficiency to consumer engagement to compliance readiness.
We believe the future belongs to brands that understand this dual imperative: Optimise for media efficiency and carbon reduction. MENA is uniquely positioned to lead this transformation, not just in compliance, but in creativity and commercial value.
The message is clear: Media efficiency and carbon reduction are one. Let’s make every impression count.
By Andy Powell, Co-Founder and CEO, Conscious Media
