Royal Mail nets Sky Zero TV spend to flag green aims

Royal Mail has emerged as one of the five winners of the Sky Zero Footprint Fund, a £2m initiative which will see the firms handed free TV advertising spots to promote business initiatives that are driving positive behavioural change for a more sustainable world.

Sky TV said the five brands – which also include tree protection tech firm Ecosia, eco cleaning business Homethings, carbon neutral toilet roll company Serious Tissues and period health brand Wuka – were selected because of their desire to inspire change, with each demonstrating sustainable values that align to Sky’s own.

Sky Zero’s pledge is to go net zero carbon by 2030 and inspire others to join in.

Each of the winning businesses has been awarded £250,000 in media value. They will now move into ad production, ahead of a final stage of judging in December, which will see the most compelling creative securing a total of £1m in media value.

Sky group director of Bigger Picture Fiona Ball said: “Last year, the Sky Zero Footprint Fund resulted in five great ads and brought disruptive brands to TV for the first time. It’s exciting to see this year, yet again, so many inspiring brands are committed to making a difference.

“Each of the winning brands from this year’s Sky Zero Footprint Fund delivers a critical message that aligns with ours; that sustainable can be attainable. And, with the opportunity to use the power of TV advertising, this message is amplified, ultimately driving positive change.”

A panel of industry experts, with credentials in advertising, creativity and sustainability, assessed 15 live pitches from the shortlisted brands on last month. Each brand was judged on the merit of their creativity (ability to capture the attention of the nation), impact (the potential to drive real, tangible behavioural change) and sustainable credibility (their authentic commitment as a business to improve future sustainability).

Sky Media director of planning Sarah Jones said. “It has been such a privilege to discover so many brands who are helping pave the way to a more sustainable future. The standard of pitches we saw on judging day was excellent – with inspiring origin stories, shocking statistics and brilliant business ideas.

“Thank you to all the brands who took part and to our judging panel for their expertise and guidance. We believe our final five have a huge opportunity to make an impact within their categories and beyond through the power of TV.”

Royal Mail managing director of marketing and digital Sonia Sudhakar said: “We are committed to raising awareness about the real carbon impact of our parcel deliveries. Now, with the help of the Sky Zero Footprint Fund and AMV BBDO, we’ll campaign for our entire industry to do the same, thereby empowering customers to help tackle climate change – today.”

All five ads will be produced using insights, tools and learnings from AdGreen. Part of the Advertising Association, AdGreen supports the ad industry shift towards net zero, eliminating the negative environmental impacts of production.