Sky Media has announced that Sky Zero Footprint Fund, a £2 million initiative designed to help brands accelerate their sustainable initiatives and inspire behavioural change, will be returning for its third consecutive year, with a new expanded format. 

To date the Sky Zero Footprint Fund has invested £4 million in advertising support for sustainable brands, which will exceed a total of £6 million in 2023. 

The fund aims to use the power and scale of TV advertising to inspire behavioural change and champion sustainable initiatives. In its third year, the initiative is once again open to brands, media and creative agencies in the UK and Ireland - with the most imaginative and impactful idea securing £1 million of the £2 million advertising media value. 

This year will also see the introduction of an additional fund for local businesses and initiatives, The ‘Local Heroes’ Fund. This fund will have winners partially voted for by the public and will launch in April using AdSmart from Sky to help connect worthy businesses to their local community. 

The competition puts sustainability at the top of the agenda for all entrants. At a time where consumers are facing a cost of living crisis, research from Sky Media shows that 3 in 5 Sky customers say that sustainability messaging in advertising influences their brand choice, showing that despite pressures sustainability remains a priority for consumers. The research also found that including credible and actionable sustainable messaging has the potential to drive 5% increase in short-term effectiveness, as well as greater long-term brand preference. 

 “While the cost-of-living crisis is taking much of our attention, we can’t afford to forget about climate change. So, for this year’s Sky Zero Footprint fund, we’d love to see ideas that can save the planet and your pocket at the same time,” explained Sarah Jones, Director of Planning at Sky Media, reinforcing the idea that two crises must not be played off against each other which is detrimental to progress.  

The campaign is now open to entrants. The campaign champions the adoption of tangible steps towards a sustainable future and is an extension of the media owner’s Sky Zero pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

A panel of respected industry figures with credentials in advertising, creativity and sustainability will assess the entries. This year’s judging panel includes a raft of new experts including Pippa Glucklich, Chief Executive Office at Electric Glue and David Garrido, Sky Sports Presenter and Sustainability Lead alongside returning judges from across the advertising industry.

The judging panel will ultimately select the five winners based on their sustainable operations to date, their commitment to a carbon-zero future and their product/services’ potential impact to drive positive behaviour change at scale. 

From the entries, fifteen brands will progress to a live pitch with the judges in August. The five selected impactful and creative ideas will go on to share the £2 million pot of media value with each business being guaranteed at least £250,000 and the strongest submission securing £1 million for its campaign. The five winners will be announced in August before progressing with the TV advert production, which will need to be produced in line with guidance from the Advertising Association’s AdGreen standards. 

The competition is now open to entries. For full details and to find out how to apply for the Sky Zero Footprint Fund, please click here.