Limited Brands, the parent company of lingerie retailer Victoria’s Secret, has announced a new forest protection policy. The policy includes ensuring the company’s catalogue paper is not made from the pulp of endangered forests. The environmental organisation, ForestEthics, applauded the move after campaigning for it. Contact Limited Brands 00 1 614 415 7000 www.limitedbrands.com; ForestEthics 00 1 415 863 4563 www.forestethics.org
Importance of trust
Three in five people do not buy a product from a company that they do not trust, according to new research published by Corporate Culture on January 9.
Neither the price, nor the product or service provided, are as important as trust when consumers make decisions, the consultancy said. The research also showed that Boots was the most trusted brand in the UK (85% of those interviewed) followed by Google (84%) and Microsoft (69%). The most trusted sector was entertainment and leisure, with the tobacco industry the least trusted. The survey interviewed 2,400 people and is called the Customer Trust Index 2006. Contact Elaine Brass Corporate Culture 020 7462 7600 www.corporateculture.co.uk
Lovin’ ethically sourced coffee
McDonald’s is the UK’s first fast-food chain to serve sustainably grown coffee. Starting January 10, 1,200 McDonald’s restaurants will sell Kenco coffee, which contains only coffee beans that have been certified by the environmental organisation the Rainforest Alliance. To qualify for certification, the beans must meet specific requirements, such as ensuring the growing process protects the environment, the rights of workers and the interest of the coffee-growing communities. McDonald’s also indicated that they were planning to launch the sustainable coffee in stores across Europe during 2007.
Contact McDonalds 08705 244 622 www.mcdonalds.co.uk; Rainforest Alliance
00 1 212 677 1900 www.rainforest-alliance.org
Go bananas
J Sainsbury has announced it will convert its entire banana range to 100% organic, leaving the retail price unchanged. The first UK retailer to do so, the moves will result in Sainsbury’s buying five times as many Fairtrade bananas from growers as before. The scale of the project will mean the retailer can extend the benefits of Fairtrade to new countries that have not yet benefited from Fairtrade accreditation. Contact J Sainsbury 020 7695 6000 www.j-sainsbury.co.uk
Short-changed on health
A report by the National Consumer Council has found economy-range products produced by the UK’s leading supermarkets have significant levels of salt and slightly more fat and sugar than the supermarkets own-brand counterparts. NCC chairman Lord Whitty, said: “Consumers who rely heavily on economy ranges are clearly being short-changed.” The report – Short-changed on Health? – assessed UK supermarkets’ efforts to encourage healthy eating. J Sainsbury was rated top, followed by Waitrose and Tesco in second place, with Marks & Spencer fourth. Somerfield and Morrisons are at the bottom of the table in seventh and eighth place respectively. Contact National Consumer Council 020 7730 3469 www.ncc.org.uk
Traffic lights vs GDA
The food industry is in controversy over the use of the traffic light system and that of guideline daily amounts on food packaging. The Food Standards Agency – the government’s food watchdog – is pushing for the use of the traffic light system, which indicates whether a food product is high in fat, sugar or salt by colour-codes: red if high, orange if medium and green if low.
But the industry itself – represented by the Food and Drink Federation – is in favour of the GDA system, which shows consumers how much of their GDA (or sugar, fat or salt) is in a portion of food. The federation believes that this is more scientific. On January 4, major food and drink companies launched a £4m advertising campaign to explain how consumers can use the GDA labels to assess the calories, sugars, fat, saturates and salt suggested for a balanced diet. The companies supporting the campaign include Coca-Cola, Cadbury Schweppes, Kellogg, Kraft, Nestlé, Sunny Delight and Unilever. The campaign – called Know What’s Inside You – aims to detract attention from the FSA’s colour-coded scheme. Contact Food Standards Agency 020 7276 8829 www.food.gov.uk; Food and Drink Federation 020 7836 2460 www.fdf.org.uk
Rewarding green marketing
The Green Awards for Creativity in Sustainability took place on November 29 at the Guildhall in London. The awards recognise the creative work that “illustrates and communicates the importance of CSR, sustainable development and ethical best practice” and are awarded to brands and companies that demonstrate commitment to these issues in an effective way in marketing and the media. Marks & Spencer’s Look Behind the Label campaign scooped two awards and O2’s Letterbox Challenge took the Grand Prix, sponsored by DEFRA.
The winners were:
Best press ad (under £100k): Saab, Bio-power (tree)
Best integrated campaign (under £100k): Marks & Spencer, Look behind the label
Best radio ad: Transport for London, Summer Cycling Campaign
Best outdoor ad (under £100k): Good Energy, Delabole Wind Fair
Best outdoor ad (over £100k): Transport for London, Summer Cycling Campaign
Best online ad: Climate Care, A beginner’s guide to carbon offsetting
Direct Mail B2B: Marine Stewardship Council, Fish & Kids
PR campaign (under £100k): GoinGreen, G-Wiz
PR campaign (over £100k): BSkyB, The Bigger Picture
Best art direction (under £100k): Divine, Eat Poverty History
Best art direction (over £100k): Marks & Spencer, Look behind the label
Best TV ad (under £100k): Scottish Waste Awareness Group, Waste Aware Grampian
Best TV ad (over £100k): Co-op Bank, Stand-Up
Best direct marketing B2C: Worcestershire County Council, Mission Impossible Action Pack
Best Packaging: O2, Letterbox Challenge
Best use of copy: Today Was Fun, Green Green Tea
Best integrated campaign (under £100k): Friends of the Earth (Manchester), Love your bike
Best integrated campaign (over £100k): Marks & Spencer, Look behind the label
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