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The Ethical Question of Sponsorship
Why do companies sponsor awards? To boost their reach and association, enjoy greater connection and create legacy, to name a few.
When social and environmental impact are central to your purpose, we believe ethics are paramount; and that requires a few extra considerations. How can we advocate being champions of change if we can’t walk the talk ourselves? Our need to be authentic and transparent may mean we are strict on due diligence, but it ensures our sponsors are aligned with our beliefs – not just for our own reputation but that of fellow sponsors, judges and entrants in the Global Good programme. To protect their brands from the scrutiny of being ‘guilty by association’, should sponsors be asking who else they will be keeping company with?
Some sectors will struggle more to align than others; and there lies the dilemma. Even with a sustainability policy, if a company’s products or processes harm people and the planet, how far into their sustainable journey to mitigate that harm should they be before being considered a sponsor of a sustainability awards programme?
Karen Sutton, GGA’s founder says: “There’s a big difference between a company that makes products but is trying to improve sustainability through a robust, credible action plan to an organisation that makes stuff that directly does harm. But I question whether some sectors will ever come up to the mark if their products are not critical to the health of our economy and society yet cause vast amounts of avoidable damage to people and the environment.
“Take the tobacco industry, for example. I know that there is need for them to exist…if they didn’t, someone would make and sell cigarettes on the black market with no regulation, no control of any kind and, crucially, no tax being paid to fund the constant treatment for the health conditions they cause. But would we accept them as a sponsor? Simply, no. We would lose the support of some of our long-standing sponsors if we did. Not to mention entrants, who are the beating heart of our programme”.
Eco credentials are now a must, not just a nice-to-have. ESG is mainstream, and with the Treasury’s announcement at COP26, UK firms are coming under growing pressure to show how they will reduce their carbon footprint. But with that comes amplified greenwashing and more cynicism.
Recently, several companies have approached us wishing to get involved with the Global Good Awards – arguably as a direct result of COP26 – but unless they are aligned to our ethics, we simply cannot accept.
The businesses we recognise through the Global Good Awards are leading the way in social and environmental sustainability and can demonstrate that they serve a purpose, so it is our responsibility to ensure the sponsors are on the same page.
You can learn more about sponsoring the Global Good Awards and download our Sponsorship Invitation here or give Karen a call direct on 07813 718541.
The Global Good Awards 2022 are open for entries. Click below for more information and to apply.
You can see the full listing of all our 2021 winners here.