My forecast for Sustainable Media Practices in 2026
We are officially two feet into 2026, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have dived into shooting and producing some epic new projects already. Within those productions, I couldn’t help but notice some reoccurring themes jumping out at my sustainability-minded brain, and it got me thinking - was 2026 finally going to be the turnaround year for campaigns and productions to become more sustainable? The themes within production set-up, casting and formatting told me that YES, I think we’re finally seeing some golden light shining, not just from the on set Amarans, but also from the media industry in terms of more sustainable production practices.
Now before I dive into those observations and my subsequent predictions, let me first discuss what I mean when I say “sustainable media production.” The term “sustainability” can be rather vague, or be applied in a greenwashing way, so I want to be very clear that when I’m talking about “sustainability”, I’m addressing the entirety of media production as a whole. This means I will be discussing not just energy-efficiency, waste-reduction and environmental practices, but also the human element of sustainable media production; diverse and equitable casting, the use of locally-based creatives and crews, and choosing narratives that highlight authentic experiences and regenerative mindsets.
What my forecast excludes is anything beyond the scope of media production (because that’s a separate topic in it’s own right and deserves a separate blog post discussing it), meaning product development, material sourcing, or brand/company practices that are outside of marketing and media production. For example, my discussion of sustainability for this article DOES include the conversation about ethical and diverse casting for campaigns, but it DOES NOT include hiring practices within a brand or company. Again, it’s important to have these distinctions because a brand/company can be operating in a sustainable manner outside of media production, but not necessarily within media production (and vice versa).
What my sustainability forecasts include are discussions of how, why and with what intention media (specifically commercial/marketing photoshoots and video campaigns) are being created. The reason that these two concepts can coexist side by side (i.e. a brand that is, in essence sustainable but creating marketing and media that IS NOT sustainable), is because media creation is often outsourced or dismissed as inherently unsustainable because “that’s the business kid.” However, I have immense hope that the newest generation of creatives and media producers are already identifying these unsustainable practices and are working towards building a more socially and environmentally responsible media sector for the future.
So now that we’ve determined what kind of sustainability we’ll be discussing, let me dive into my predictions of what sustainable media production practices I think will gain momentum in the upcoming year:
FORECAST 1:
Brands and companies are going to be more transparent with their “good, bad and uglies” - as well as more transparent about their methods in working towards more sustainable campaigns.
The demand for brand accountability is growing every year and it’s clear that consumers are craving truth, not empty fluff, in terms of the media they’re tuning into. This doesn’t mean that companies and brands have to be 100% sustainable in their media production, but it does mean that they have to be honest about it if they want to curry favor and build trust with their target audiences. For example, if a company has a history of inequitable casting for their campaigns in terms of size, race, gender/gender-expression or age, trying to erase or deny that past and working towards more sustainable and equitable casting will be seen by their target audience in a detrimental light. However, if they discuss their previous casting choices and the lessons they have learned that they will be implementing going forward (and then back it up with actionable steps), their transparency will be reflected in trust gained, more brand confidence and an increased willingness to view their media from their consumers.
FORECAST 2:
Social media marketing campaigns are going to trend into longer form content with emphasis on storytelling and connecting to audiences. Brands, companies and individuals are going to realize that it’s not sustainable to have quick/trending brain rot content going forward.
It’s easy to see the exhaustion we all collectively feel from short-form and trending brain rot content. From a creator standpoint, this content offers little in terms of insightful storytelling or brand selling marketing, and the demand to continuously make more of can be creatively draining. On the consumer side, this type of content and marketing is seen as addicting, intrusive and shallow - offering no meaningful connections to products or brands and leaving consumers reluctant to trust new products when everything feels like an empty ad hunting you for your money. On the flipside of this reality is the fact that social media as a marketing and media platform isn’t going anywhere anytime soon - in fact, over 53% of gen-Z consumers are using social media to watch long form content already. I forecast that in 2026 brands and companies are going to go back to producing more cinematic, longer form campaigns and commercials that are story-driven, authentic and aimed at connection rather than fast sales.
FORECAST 3:
Smaller, locally based production crews are going to be more popular this year due to outside influences such as tariffs, tax changes and, again, a craving for more authentic storytelling.
This past year was, unfortunately, the “year of the Tariff” here in Hawai’i and on the Continental USA. Not only are domestic retailers and brands hit with higher costs in manufacturing and material sourcing, the media industry is also being hit with an increase in equipment rentals, decline/difficulty in shooting abroad or collaborating with foreign teams, and economic uncertainty. The tariffs are also affecting the target audiences for campaigns and media because the rise of inflation means people are spending less money on “non-essentials”, not just on products and brands but also on entertainment and paid-for media - opting instead to consume free media. This means that brands and companies are having to be creative in terms of media production budgets. Here on the islands, for instance, I predict that companies and brands are going to be utilizing the creative teams that already have their own gear and networks on island to produce campaigns for them. Not only is this more cost effective for the client, but it also results in a silver lining of having a more locally-minded and aware crew to create the marketing material. I forecast that these small, local crews will produce media that feels more authentic, sincere and truthful to the target audiences and elicits genuine interest and connection.
FORECAST 4:
Due to both consumer and client demand, producers and production companies are going to be implementing more sustainable practices in the new year.
Goodbye tiny, single use water bottles. Farewell leaving key lights plugged in all day when not is use. Arrivederci food waste in crafty! The combination of growing audience and client awareness, along with the aforementioned squeeze of tariffs and inflation, means that production companies are going to have to be extra environmentally friendly, both on and off set in 2026. I forecast that these practices will also include an increase in researching and consulting locals in terms of location scouting, casting and cultural awareness. Although the motivations might be mixed, I’m hopeful that the positive outcomes and further education derived from these new practices will influence not just emerging creatives and production companies, but established ones as well. I predict that producers are going to be asking themselves “how can I help make this shoot more environmentally and socially sustainable” a lot more in 2026.
BONUS FORECAST 5:
Okay, this one is definitely an optimistic prediction, but I had to include it. I predict that while larger brands and companies will likely be leaning more into AI usage for productions, smaller/medium scale productions/brands/businesses will be leaning away from AI and working towards authenticity and originality to connect with their target demographic.
I was horrified to see my first AI-generated “actor” in a Youtube ad the other day, and boy did it make me rethink this forecast, but in what has been described as my “golden retriever optimism”, I have decided to plow ahead and stand by it. We are already seeing a distrust and dislike of AI generated creative and marketing campaigns due to their lack of genuine emotion, human motivation and connection. Smaller brands and creatives are also very much aware of the rampant intellectual property theft and plagiarism within AI usage, and are already leaning towards creating more authentic, creative and human-led media and storylines. Although on the surface it may seem that it’s cheaper to utilize AI to create media campaigns, a trap larger companies are already falling for, it’s clear that with consumers deeply distrusting media with any AI usage (even so much as a title to a human-written news article), companies that are pumping out AI-generated campaigns now will have to go back and create more meaningful and human-led campaigns later on to win back their target audiences. Smaller brands, production teams and creatives are already ahead of the curve in this regard, by working towards creating a deep separation from their art and campaigns, to those created using AI. In the long run, my hopeful prediction is that there is a generalized drop in AI usage globally - both outside and within the media sectors. This would be, undoubtably, an amazing win for the environment and society.
Let me know what you think of my 2026 forecasts for sustainable practices in media production in the comments. Do you agree, disagree, have a different outlook? The key takeaway is that the conversation over sustainability in the media is growing, as is the awareness in how we as an industry can do better by ourselves, our clients and the audience that we’re trying to reach. My hope for the future of media production is that we are all more intentional with what campaigns we choose to work on, how we can produce them in a way that gives back to our planet and our communities, and how we can pivot from selling unattainable aspiration to selling connection, education and lifestyle shifts.
We hope that you found this list and guide useful and that it inspired you to think more sustainably about your next video or still production. If you need more suggestions or help, you can always send us an email to schedule a consultation.
