Sustainability & green marketing

It's time to bin brands

Marketers must take responsibility for what happens to their packaging after it's left the shelves, writes Sir Andrew Motion, president, Campaign to Protect Rural England, and former Poet Laureate.

Counting down 2012's finest Marketing Moments

Nicola Kemp unveils the top marketing moments of the past 12 months.

Flailing Starbucks has fallen to 'age of damage', says Havas global chief

A series of "wrong" decisions surrounding how much tax Starbucks pays in the UK has led the global coffee chain to become the latest brand to suffer in "the age of damage", according to Havas' global chief executive David Jones, and he believes Googl...

RB sets new sustainability strategy after hitting previous targets

Reckitt Benckiser (RB) has unveiled a fresh sustainability initiative called "betterbusiness", which aims to create a third of the company's net revenue from sustainable products.

TUI Travel commits to 'greener' holidays

TUI Travel, the company behind holiday brands Thomson and First Choice, has revealed a three-year sustainability strategy to deliver 10 million "greener and fairer" holidays and to become Europe's most fuel-efficient airline operator.

Arif Durrani: London 2012 ad blackout brings commercial Games into focus

The start of the official advertising 'blackout' around this summer's London 2012 Olympics today brings into focus the commercial nature of the modern Games, and with it a general misunderstanding.

Arif Durrani: Cannes 2012 suggests doing good is now good business

The Cannes Lions Festival is a many-tentacled beast which in many ways defies summarisation, yet among the industry back-slapping, network squabbling and media one-upmanship along the Crosiette, I found one recurring ray of hope which could yet save ...

Editor's Comment: One month to the Games and crunch time for London 2012 Olympics sponsor marketers

It is as much a decision for a brand not to sponsor an era-defining event such as the London 2012 Olympics as it is to do so.

McDonald's wins Grand Prix at Marketing Society Awards for Excellence 2012

McDonald's secured the prestigious Grand Prix at the 2012 Marketing Society Awards for Excellence, held on Monday, for the role marketing has played in overhauling its UK business since 2006.

Noelle McElhatton: Forget austerity. 'Agile' is the new 'a' word for marketers

The 'a' word much in evidence amongst marketers these days, is not austerity, but 'agility' - as in yesterday's packed Agile Government Communications Strategy Conference, attended by more than 400 agency chiefs.

Save the planet marketing 'won't change consumer behaviour'

Brands rolling out catch-all "save the planet" initiatives, such as Procter & Gamble's 'Future Friendly' drive, will fall foul of consumer complacency, according to new research.

Unilever tops 2012 Marketing Society Awards nominations

Unilever, ASOS, British Gas, McDonald's and John Lewis top the nominations shortlist for the 2012 Marketing Society Awards for excellence

M&S launches recycling initiative fronted by Joanna Lumley

Marks & Spencer is launching a fashion initiative in partnership with Oxfam, fronted by Joanna Lumley, which is designed to encourage customers to recycle unwanted clothing.

Arif Durrani: Is marketing at a crossroads?

Unilever's Keith Weed appeared to strike a chord this month when he peppered his keynote address at the Advertising Association's Lead 2012 summit with calls for a more responsible approach to marketing.

Unilever launches global charity foundation

Unilever has teamed up with Oxfam, PSI, Save the Children, Unicef and the World Food Programme (WFP) to launch The Unilever Foundation and ramp up its CSR credentials.

P&G asks Facebook to 'like' clean water programme

Procter & Gamble (P&G) has launched a Facebook campaign to get consumers to engage with the company's Children's Safe Drinking Water programme (CSDW), promising to deliver one day of clean drinking water for every "like".

'Passion points' key to CSR push, says Britvic marketing director

Jonathan Gatward, Britvic GB marketing director, has said the 'Transform your patch' joint marketing campaign with PepsiCo UK will help the companies brands connect with consumers' "passion points" and their interest in communal events.

E.ON recruits Mumsnet co-founder to help rebuild image

Energy giant E.ON is bringing in Mumsnet co-founder Justine Roberts to advise on how it can win back consumers amid an atmosphere of growing resentment towards the energy sector.

Interactive: Twelve ideas for 2012

As the industry faces a period of unprecedented economic social and economic flux, Nicola Clark examines the consumer issues that will affect marketers most over the coming 12 months

Think BR: Make sustainability the icing on your product's cake

With the likes of Unilever and P&G putting sustainability at the heart of what they do, brands have to start planning for the future now, write Jonathan Weeks, director, and Laura Furniss, development manager, Ipsos MORI Marketing.