MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND — Insect-based dog food brand Grub Club has been selected as a winner of Sky Media’s Zero Footprint Fund, an advertising fund that helps support companies that are promoting sustainability. Grub Club, along with four other sustainably minded brands, will receive £250,000 ($314,496 USD) in media value to help amplify their reach.
The Sky Zero Footprint Fund was established in 2020 and each year dedicates £2 million ($2.5 million) USD) in advertising to help advance sustainability by supporting eco-friendly brands across a variety of industries. This year’s winners of the fund include Grub Club, Milliways, Ocean Bottle, OceanSaver® and UpCircle.
The winning brands were selected by a judging panel consisting of:
- Chris Baker, co-founder of Serious Tissues
- David Garrido, news presenter and sustainability lead at Sky Sports
- Pippa Glucklich, chief executive officer of Electric Glue
- Michelle Carvil, author of Sustainable Marketing and co-founder of Can Marketing Save the Planet Podcast
- Rosie Arnold, creative consultant
- Richard Shotton, behavioral scientist and author of The Illusion of Choice and The Choice Factory
- Dino Myers-Lamptey, founder of The Barber Shop and co-chair of The Conscious Advertising Network GSD Advisory Group
- Stephen Woodford, chair of the Advertising Association
- Fiona Ball, group director of bigger picture at Sky
- Sarah Jones, director of planning at Sky Media
- Jo Fenn, global director of AdGreen
- Gideon Spanier, UK editor in chief of Campaign
“Sky uses its platforms to engage audiences on climate change and encourage steps to reduce carbon emissions,” Ball said. “Over the last two years, the Sky Zero Footprint Fund has helped produce 10 exceptional adverts, propelling sustainable brands’ messages onto television to inspire wide, tangible behavioral change. Advertising can play a key role in raising awareness of climate issues and inspiring changes in daily habits, so we look forward to seeing the 2023 winners’ adverts on our TV channels.”
The brands will now produce ads using insights and tools from AdGreen, which supports the advertising industry’s shift toward net-zero production. A final stage of judging will begin in December, in which the most compelling brand will win an additional £750,000 ($943,518 USD) in media value.
“It’s been an absolute honor to work on the Sky Zero Footprint Fund for the last two years and I’ve been so inspired by the brilliant range of applications this year too,” Jones said. “The caliber of presentations we saw in the Footprint Fund Dragon’s Den was truly exceptional. Thanks to our fantastic judging panel who helped to select our winners — I can’t wait to see the ads from our final five in December and to see the impact they have when they launch their campaigns.”
Founded in 2020, Grub Club addresses sustainability by targeting proteins in dog food formulas. The company replaces traditional, animal-based proteins with proteins from black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), which offers several environmental benefits, according to the brand. Grub Club’s products include complete-and-balanced diets for dogs, functional products targeting digestive and skin and coat health, and treats.
“We are absolutely buzzing to have made this year’s final five,” said Alessandro Di Trapani, co-founder and chief executive officer, Grub Club. “The Sky Zero Footprint Fund gives us an incredible opportunity to tell the Grub Club story to millions of people across the United Kingdom, which will be a game-changer for us in educating pet parents about the sustainable alternatives that exist in pet food. Time to turn man’s best friend into Earth’s best friend.”
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