Winners of this year’s £2m Sky Zero Footprint Fund revealed

Sky has announced the five winners of its Sky Zero Footprint Fund, a £2m advertising fund which uses the power of TV advertising to amplify business initiatives that are driving positive behavioural change for a more sustainable world.

The campaign champions the adoption of tangible steps towards a sustainable future. The five winning brands were selected because of their pitch’s display to inspire change, with each one 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 the journey.

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.

Fiona Ball, group director of the Bigger Picture at Sky, said: “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.”

The five wining businesses are Ecosia, Homethings, Royal Mail, Serious Tissues and WUKA.

A panel of respected industry experts, with credentials in advertising, creativity and sustainability, assessed 15 live pitches from the shortlisted brands on Wednesday 10th August at the Thinkbox headquarters in Chancery Lane. Each brand was judged on the merit of their creativity, impact and sustainable credibility.

Sarah Jones, director of planning at Sky Media, 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 fantastic judging panel for their expertise and guidance. We believe our final 5 have a huge opportunity to make an impact within their categories and beyond through the power of TV.”

Sophie Dembinski, Ecosia’s head of policy & UK, said, “We’re thrilled to have been selected as one of the winners of the Sky Zero Footprint Fund. With Sky’s support, Ecosia will be able to reach and enable millions more people across the UK to fight the climate emergency by planting millions more trees and regenerating forests around the world at a crucial time for the planet.”

All five winning 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. Established by Sky, the Footprint Fund is part of the Sky Zero campaign to be net zero carbon by 2030.