Global warming. A phrase that everyone is now aware of, but not everyone is sure of its implications.
This year, the UK saw its hottest summer, with temperatures soaring to 40.3 degrees Celsius. Now more than ever, brands and those in the eye of the media are being watched to ensure that they are socially and environmentally responsible. They are aware that if they are found to be environmentally conscious, young people may be more likely to buy from them in comparison to a competitor.
Here are a few examples of successes relating to the environment in the media for the past few months.
What clothes do Love Islanders wear?
For the first time, the summer Love Island 2022 cast was sponsored by eBay, and they wore ‘pre-loved’ fashion. The move by ITV came as a 2022 poll found that 20% of people in Britain buy more second-hand fashion compared to two years ago. The public is becoming increasingly conscious of fast fashion, with research showing that those aged between 18-34 have the highest average percentage of second-hand clothes in their wardrobe, nearly double that of those over 55s.
Following the show’s finish at the beginning of August, Tasha Ghouri, who came in fourth place with boyfriend Andrew Le Page, secured a brand deal with eBay, the first of its kind with the pre-loved fashion company.
With ITV having onboarded eBay as a sponsor, it shows them as conscious about global warming in the media since Love Island has one of the biggest audiences of any ITV show. We don’t expect Love Island will ever revert to using fast fashion brands as a sponsor in the future. Even the likes of Pretty Little Thing, a company that has been notorious for fast fashion over the past few years, have recently announced a second-hand marketplace to ensure that they stay as a front runner in the fashion world where possible.
Net Zero Companies
Being net zero means cutting greenhouse gas emissions as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions being re-absorbed from the atmosphere by oceans and forests.
Various companies have pledged to be net zero within the next 1, 2, 5, 10 or even 20 years, depending on the company and its size. For example, streaming giant Netflix aims to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by the end of 2022.
A few examples of things Netflix have done to reduce their emissions and improve its investment in nature include:
- Using local film crews
- Using electric vehicles
- Utilise LED lighting
- Reduce diesel generators on set
- Supporting conservation projects
For Netflix, having a positive media stance regarding the environment is more essential than ever since there are a growing number of competitors. It might seem very business-minded, but sales and customer retention are at the top of Netflix’s priority list, as with any other company. They would not be able to do great things for the environment if it wasn’t for their paying customers. Netflix will continue to contribute to the environment to retain its customers, particularly those concerned about important issues such as global warming. The number of these people will only grow.
Being environmentally conscious in the media
At Communicate Media, more and more of our clients want to be seen as environmentally aware and conscious, notably our clothing and fashion industry clients.
The media will want to hear about even the small changes that your company might make. If you are not using biodegradable products or turning the lights off when you are not using them, the media will want to know, and this could damage your reputation more than you might think.
Book your course today if you want to get involved in media training to learn how to address these issues and more.
Call us on 07958 239 892 or email gareth@communicatemedia.co.uk today.