State of the Nation

Inset: Formula E ranked as the Best Total Performer from a table of over 300 global sports organisations.

Thanks to the strides of the licensing industry – ably assisted by Products of Change, the global educational hub driving sustainable change across consumer product markets and beyond – sustainable dreams are beginning to become reality. LSB highlights some of the latest news.

The green dream

JCB rolls out Sustainable Packaging Guide

JCB has developed and launched its own

Consumer Products Sustainable Packaging

Guide to help licensing partners review their packaging solutions and improve sustainability. The guide is part of current efforts to bring the team’s consumer products division into full

alignment with the values of the wider JCB

business. It was created in 2022 and introduced to coincide with the introduction of packaging Extended Producer Responsibility legislation in January 2023. JCB has made some big changes to its core construction business since 2010, working to reduce the carbon impact of its machinery through efficiency. It modelled the guide on the one it already implements across its supply chain. “The Guide identifies three key priorities,” commented Katie Lane, JCB’s brand licensing manager. “First is to optimise design and design packaging thoughtfully to ensure every element is necessary. “Second is to source sustainably and maximise recycled and responsibly sourced content. “Third is to support recycling and prioritise the circular economy, planning for the full lifecycle of the packaging.” The Sustainable Packaging Guide is now being shared with licensees as JCB works alongside them to identify the areas of priority.

Formula E sets ‘record-breaking benchmark’

Formula E has been ranked the Best Total Performer from a table of over 300 global sports organisations in the 2022 Global Sustainability Benchmark in Sports (GSBS) report.

The purpose-driven motorsport also ranked the highest in three of the four other categories in the report including Best Corporate Performance, Best Environmental Performance and Best Governance Performance.

It was the Italian football club, Juventus, which won the report’s Best Social Performance title.

GSBS is an independent, global, not for profit organisation which analyses and benchmarks the sustainability performance of professional sports organisations. Its 2022 study analysed more than 50 elite sports organisations of more than 300 invited to take part.

Others ranked in the report include the NFL, NBA, FIFA, Formula 1, UFC and WWE.

Jamie Reigle, ceo at Formula E, said: “Setting the global standard for sustainability in sport has been a core characteristic of Formula E since we began in 2014. We also acknowledge the efforts in sustainability by other major sports organisations around the world and welcome that progress.

“Together, we have the potential to engage billions of fans in the mission to combat climate change and make a positive difference to the lives of future generations.”

“Trees, Gromit”: Aardman extends The National Forest partnership

Shaun the Sheep is fronting a new three-year campaign from The National Forest Company’s Dedicate a Tree initiative to plant its ten millionth tree.

The partnership between the UK conservation charity and the British animation studio, Aardman was made official in November 2022, marking National Tree Week with the launch of a new promotional campaign to social media.

The campaign features Shaun the Sheep and his friends alongside a new red squirrel character named Stash to represent a positive vision of the future where maturing forests can help restore native species.

The partnership will highlight the many benefits of planting trees and how it can help tackle climate change. Trees have always been a catalyst for change in the National Forest, with more than nine million planted in the last 30 years.

Aardman has previously worked in partnership with The National Forest to drive education among young people and families around the importance of tree-planting and biodiversity.

Lucy Wendover, marketing director at Aardman, has earmarked the environment and sustainability as “priorities for Aardman”, the Bristol-based studio which remains “positive the partnership will engage and educate kids and families on the importance of supporting a more sustainable future”.

Above: The new partnership will highlight the many benefits of planting trees and how it can help tackle climate change.

Rubies Zero is dress-up expert’s drive to lead costume category change

Dress-up specialist, Rubies has launched an initiative to protect the environment and drive its ambitions to become carbon neutral under its Rubies Zero banner. The plan will help the licensed costume expert evolve its business towards “becoming fully climate conscious”. “We firmly believe that part of being a hero is also preserving our planet,” said Rubies’ licensing manager EMEA, Aurélie Waklawski. “There’s a real climate crisis and we all need to take responsibility to make a difference. As the world’s largest designer, distributor and manufacturer of costumes and accessories, we need to lead the industry by example and use our position as a fancy-dress powerhouse for positive change.” Among the measures taken by Rubies, the introduction of its Green Collection features a selection of machine washable dress-up items featuring its biggest licences, all created using recycled plastic. The company is also promoting circular principles in its charity partnerships to promote pre-loved and stock donation. For 2023, Rubies is eyeing a number of takeback programmes with its key retail partners. “We’re working on educating the business and further reducing our carbon footprint,” said Aurélie. “We’ve started by opening a new design centre in the UK which will save samples being sent back and forth from Asia. We will continue to look at ways to reduce the impact of costume manufacturing at the same time as growing our Green Collection.”

Redan Eco Award win an ‘important moment for kids’ magazines’

Redan Publishing has said its win at the Progressive Preschool Awards in November 2022 is an important moment for the children’s magazine category “as a whole” for progressing the narrative around sustainability in business. Redan secured the event’s firstever Eco Award last year for the sustainable design efforts behind its new-look Fun to

Learn Peppa Pig

Bag o’ Fun kids’ magazine. The title arrives in a plasticfree, 100% recyclable cardboard wrapper that not only provides an alternative to poly-bag magazine packaging but offers additional educational content for kids to explore. The innovation places the popular Hasbro preschool IP at the centre of an ‘important moment for the

children’s magazine category, as a whole’.

“Winning the first Eco Award is truly fantastic as it recognises our commitment to making change on a sustainability front,” said Joanne Ellis, marketing and licensing manager at Redan Publishing. “This is not only great for Redan but also for the children’s magazine category as a whole. Finding and implementing more sustainable products and solutions is at the forefront of our business decisions and being awarded by industry experts for one of our sustainable measures is amazing.”

Redan Publishing is committed to an ongoing sustainable development journey, part of which includes an investment in the recycling and environmental educational programme, Recycle to Read, to “help develop a sustainable circular economy for the magazine and toy industries,” said Joanne.

Minecraft Education braves the cold with Frozen Planet II

BBC Studios has partnered with Minecraft Education to bring the animals and landscapes of BBC Earth’s popular Frozen Planet II to the immersive video game system.

Together, the pair have created five free Frozen Planet II worlds inspired by the landmark series, enabling players – for the first time ever – to play from the perspective of a penguin, bumblebee or even a polar bear.

Minecraft: Education Edition provides educational content for schools around the world, helping students learn about a variety of subjects through creative gameplay. It’s Mojang Studios’ belief it has a responsibility to use Minecraft to build a better world. Above: BBC Studios and The educational Frozen Planet II content is available in 29 different languages and comes accompanied by lesson plans for teachers to educate and inspire students about the importance Minecraft Education have created five free Frozen Planet II worlds inspired by of our frozen worlds and explore the effects of climate change as part of classroom curriculum. the landmark series.

Elizabeth White, series producer of Frozen Planet II, said: “We are delighted to partner with Minecraft on this range of educational computer games which will enable children to interact with stories inspired by the series through gameplay and learn more about the challenges of these habitats through the additional lesson content.”

NFL Players Association forms Green Team

The NFL Players Association has established its own Green Team to help drive the operation’s sustainability strategy, marking its first step towards implementing sustainable development across the company.

Its formation coincides with the appointment of NFL Players Inc’s president, Steven Scebelo to the role of US Sports Ambassador for Products of Change. Steven will use the Association’s position of influence to encourage sustainable development within the US sports licensing sector.

It’s a similar role the NFLPA sees itself playing to take sustainability to audiences across the world. The business wants to harness the power of sport and the reach of its athletes to act as ambassadors for sustainable development and environmental ambitions.

“Our players enjoy a position of influence. Pairing that with causes they have affinity with is a great way to take this conversation far and wide,” said Steven. “I’m pleased to join the POC community as US Sports Ambassador and look forward to helping drive sustainable development across the licensed sports consumer goods sector here in the US.

“Meanwhile, our Green Team will drive those efforts here at the NFLPA as we learn and develop along this journey together.”

Above: The establishment of the Green Team marks NFLPA’s first step towards implementing sustainable development across the company.

The Smurfs champion gender equality

Above: The 2023 look places Smurfette front and centre of the campaign to drive gender equality. The Smurfs are doing their bit to promote gender equality across its global audiences with the launch of a new style guide for 2023, placing the Sustainable Development Goal number five at the centre of its look.

The 2023 look places Smurfette front and centre of the campaign to drive gender equality with messaging including We Smurf All Equals, Equality has no Gender and He For She on various graphics depicting the strength and resilience of the only female Smurf.

Since June 2019, IMPS – the licence holder for The Smurfs – has worked with the United Nations as part of the UN’s Media Pact to act as ambassadors of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Under the agreement, the brand routinely calls out these goals through activations and campaigns, such as European Beach Clean-Ups and more.

Goal number five, Gender Equality is the strive to

achieve equality and empower all women and girls

around the world. It is set out to tackle vital issues surrounding inequality.