Whether it’s Super Mario Bros. in your bathtub or ice cream on a mission to end slavery in the global cocoa supply in your freezer, this year’s shortlist of Licensing Awards Best Licensed Sustainable Product finalists really is diverse pool of innovators with some big stories to tell.
While the ten finalists this year will be whittled down to just one winner on the night, there’s no doubt we can all be left feeling more than a little inspired by the innovation and direction of sustainable travel with which these pioneers of licensing are propelling the industry.
We’ve already celebrated some very worthwhile campaigns in this category, including National Trust’s partnership with Moshulu to not only deliver a collection of footwear produced using the most sustainable processes and materials available but support of a UK-wide coastal conservation project; a Ben & Jerry’s x Tony’s Chocolonely effort to end modern slavery in the cocoa industry while mashing up some very exciting flavours; and a plastic-free PAW Patrol skin care range from Tribal on a quest to educate customers and deliver firm action on UN Sustainable Development Goals such as poverty reduction, gender equality, responsible consumption, and the preservation of life on land and below water.
And the best bit is, we’re not done yet! We’re still to explore Louis Kennedy’s long-standing relationship with BBC Children in Need, Story House Egmont’s entire sustainability strategy for the children’ss publishing sector, PlayPress Toys Julia Donaldson collection, and a partnership between Universal’s Super Mario Bros. movie and LUSH, bringing the sustainable bath and body specialist into the licensing sector for the first time in its 28 -year history.
So, without further ado – let’ explore the remaining finalists in the 2023 Licensing Awards Best Licensed Sustainable Product…
LUSH x Super Mario Bros. Movie Collection
There’s something very special about a brand’s first step into licensing. More so when that brand has the potential to significantly shift the tide of this fast-paced brand licensing industry.
It’s what LUSH did when the bath and body specialist bounced on to the scene with its kooper-crushing collaboration with Universal’s Super Mario Bros. Its first licensing deal 28 years into its founding pledge ‘to take care of the environment’, the Super Mario Bros. movie collection of bath bombs and soaps put LUSH on everybody’s radar this year.
Challenged to create a range of fun bath bombs while upholding the highest standards of sustainability, the LUSH x Super Mario Bros Movie range featured six collectable Question Block two-in-one solid soaps provided all the thrill of an unboxing moment that left no trace.
Products were designed to have no packaging while any required packaging was made from 90% recycled materials. Not only this, the partners ensured the product range got to market in the most socially responsible way possible – shipping materials locally through eight manufacturing site globally to avoid increased carbon input through air freight.
LUSH was founded upon the principle of finding creative solutions to make a positive impact on the planet. It is part of the company’s core values to be an environmental leader. Universal is also taking steps to increase the sustainability of its product lines and is seeking partners that can create new and innovative products with environmental policies that align with these principles.
All the products in the LUSH x Super Mario Bros Movie line were handmade using ethically-sourced, fairly-traded ingredients. The brand uses in-house moulds to create each soap and bath bomb. When those moulds had been used to their limits, they are sent to LUSH’s in-house recycling centre to be processed for recycling back into sheets to create new moulds.
“The LUSH x Super Mario Bros Movie collaboration led to the development is a sustainable product line with reduced and recycled packaging across its bathing and shower products that didn’t compromise on the fun and excitement that is core to the brand’s DNA,” said the Universal team.
“These products demonstrated a powerful alternative to plastic throwaway toys and waste by using sustainability and the environment as a guiding force which has set an industry benchmark and already inspired future brand collaborations in the personal care sector.”
BBC Children in Need x Louis Kennedy
With eight character collectables and a collector’s card to get your hands on, the entire Children in Need x Louis Kennedy range is made from recycled fridge and car parts from here in the UK. All of it can be recycled again while the packaging comes from certified sustainable sources.
Traditionally, fundraising collectables have been made from non-recyclable plastic, making this – Louis Kennedy believes – a first for the charity sector.
Launched in Autumn 2022 to coincide with the BBC Children in Need campaign, the range features Pudsey and Blush in a series of Sportacular poses. Each Sportacular Character is drawn and coloured before being turned in to 3D models used to create steel moulds for each character.
Tiny, recycled granules of car and fridge parts are fed into a machine which creates the collectables before packaging them up into fully-recyclable packaging. Proceeds from the sale of each collectable go directly to Children in Need, part and parcel of Louis Kennedy’s mission statement to always deliver ‘partnerships with purpose.’
Story House Egmont’s Magazine Portfolio Sustainability Approach
Story House Egmont has found its entire approach to sustainability across its magazine portfolio in the running for Best Sustainable Licensed Product this year, bringing its collection of nine licensed magazine titles under the microscope.
On a mission to minimise its environmental impact, Story House Egmont has committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by 25% by 2025. The ‘Go Green Faster’ pledge encompasses reduction across covermounts and toys, packaging, goods transportation, and printed products.
The strategy focuses on three main areas:
- Sustainable packaging, reduced plastic, and plastic-free products.
- Better plastic covermounts criteria.
- Zero Waste
Story House Egmont is now committed to: reducing the weight of plastic in covermounts by 25% in 2024. Reducing the weight of plastic in packaging by 50% in 2024; to have a minimum of 30% of the plastic packaging made of recycled plastic in 2024; and have a new zero-waste target focusing on full optimisation of a circular economy.
Since 2017, Story House Egmont has been collaborating with Wastebuster on a Recycle to Read programme to build a new recycling infrastructure for hard to recycle plastic toys alongside promoting waste reduction, reuse, and recycling with schools and communities.
“It is our belief that improving play value with every decision we make in the product makes us more sustainable,” said the Story House Egmont team. “We are committed to creating content and covermounts that support children’s developmental milestones.
“Our next step in our sustainability journey is 100% recycled material, 100% recyclable and zero waste. Children and their wellbeing are the beating heart of Story House Egmont, and that focus on child welfare underpins everything we do.”
Magic Light Pictures and Play Press Toys’ Room on the Broom Pop-out Playset
PlayPress Toys’ mission is to offer a world of creativity that doesn’t cost the earth. It’s why this Room on the Broom Pop-out Eco-friendly Playset is designed designed and manufactured in the UK, made with FSC certified board, and printed with ocean-friendly inks.
This plastic-free playset has no packaged waste as the packaging folds out to create the backdrop and additional element of play. The board can also have pieces re-added like a puzzle.
By using UK based manufacturing, PlayPress reduces the distance the product travels prior to sale. The FSC certified playboard is a compostable material made using virgin fibre board from Finland. The inks used are vegetable based and the glue is water based.
“PlayPress focus on the phrase ‘sustainable play’ for all their products,” said the Magic Light Pictures team. “The Room on the Broom Playset considers the environmental impact of the product at every stage, form using sustainable materials to limiting the carbon footprint of the product throughout transit.
“PlayPress’ ethos is about encouraging children to explore new possibilities. Their products are designed to let children play creatively while helping them develop key motor and cognitive reasoning skills.”
