UKTV commits £1m of airtime to sustainability campaign
October 12, 2023
Commercial broadcaster UKTV has announced the launch of a new Everyday Sustainability campaign, dedicating £1 million worth of its own airtime across the network’s seven linear channels and streaming service, UKTV Play, to encourage viewers to make more sustainable lifestyle choices.
To launch the first year of the initiative, UKTV is tackling food waste and working with international climate action NGO WRAP and their campaign brand Love Food Hate Waste.
The British public throws away 6.6 million tonnes of household food waste a year, which accounts for 70 per cent of the UK’s total food waste annually. Some 4.5 million tonnes of this household food waste could have been eaten. Not only does this have an environmental impact due to the greenhouse gases created from the production of the food and the resources used to grow this food, it also has a massive financial impact, which is all the more important during the current cost of living crisis. The average UK family of four wastes about £730 worth of food a year, or approximately £60 a month.
To address this issue, UKTV consulted WRAP, a climate action NGO established in the UK in 2000, and now working in 40+ countries around the globe to tackle the causes of the climate crisis and give the planet a sustainable future. WRAP runs the Love Food Hate Waste national brand which delivers campaigns aimed at radically reducing the amount of food which is wasted in UK homes.
Sarah Goldman, Director of Advertising, UKTV, commented: “Sustainability is one of the core pillars of UKTV’s strategy, and the Everyday Sustainability campaign has been designed to harness the power of our network to inform and inspire viewers. The statistics about food waste are alarming, so I am delighted that we are working with the experts at Love Food Hate Waste to nudge people into more sustainable behaviours.”
Catherine David, Director, Behaviour Change & Business Programmes at WRAP, added: “It is a pleasure to be working with UKTV to highlight the huge issue of household food waste, and what we can all do to make more sustainable choices in our everyday lives. We are delighted that Love Food Hate Waste tips will reaching UKTV’s huge audience.”
The campaign will launch on October 14th with an average of 100 spots per week across UKTV’s network for a twelve-month period. The campaign creative consists of a 40 second promo spot, and a 20 second cut-down version, and is being produced in house by UKTV Creative in collaboration with the Love Food Hate Waste team.