Highly Commended at BusinessGreen Leaders Awards 2022
Greenhouse
We were delighted to be recognised at the BusinessGreen Awards 2022 for outstanding impact on climate change over the last year. At Greenhouse Communications, we choose to work where we can make the most difference, supporting businesses, investors, policy makers and NGOs, building investment and radical collaboration to get to net zero. This year we delivered more than 70+ campaigns, with two thirds delivering global impact.
The role we played at COP26 on day one speaks of who we are – we launched the UK’s flagship global initiative on clean-tech innovation at the World Leaders Summit, and we were on the streets supporting youth activists and Indigenous peoples at the end of day photocall on ‘Climate Betrayal’. We are defined by our focus on climate action. We ran more than 15 high-profile campaigns in COP26 alone. Here are some of our highlights of 2021-22:
Radical collaboration on innovation
Greenhouse supported the BEIS/Cabinet Office launch of the Glasgow Breakthroughs, signed by 40 world leaders representing over 70% of the global economy. Leaders, CEOs and philanthropists pledged billions to drive innovation at scale to make clean technologies affordable, accessible and attractive globally by 2030, across key sectors such as power, steel, road transport, hydrogen and agriculture. We designed branding, messaging, films and digital toolkits, and our team managed delivery on stage at COP26 World Leaders Summit. We launched Mission Innovation campaign – a coalition of 22 governments and EU Commission – supporting the breakthrough agenda. Our messaging was included in world leaders’ speeches, our hero film received 138k + views, we reached nearly two billion via world's high-profile media.
> Read our Mission Innovation case study.
Putting nature at the heart of the climate debate
This was the year nature-based solutions were recognised as a major part of the solution to climate change. Greenhouse ran a global Nature Newsroom, co-ordinating all nature-related announcements behalf of Nature4Climate, a coalition of leading conservation, businesses and multilateral organisations. We developed a message framework, managed spokespeople, delivered more than 5,000 pieces of coverage worldwide, highlighting the role of nature in tackling climate change, ensuring diverse voices were heard from Indigenous peoples to youth. We were also instrumental in launching the FACT Roadmap to tackle deforestation across supply chains.
> Read the Nature Newsroom case study
Amplifying youth and Indigenous voices
We supported AVAAZ, promoting six mobilisations on traditional and social media, including: youth activists' call for world leaders to "end climate betrayal"; Indigenous activists highlighting vulnerable nations' urgent need for climate finance with a demand to "show us the money"; and a delegation of mothers bringing a letter to COP26 President Alok Sharma calling for an end to fossil fuel production to support children’s health around air pollution. We delivered more than 1,000 articles globally in top tier media and on social. Beyond COP26, we supported businesses, NGOs, and activists, to radically transform our energy, finance and food systems to align with 1.5°C and to protect and restore nature.
Driving forward the EV revolution
Greenhouse launched Connected Kerb’s £1.9bn plan to install 190,000 on-street EV chargers by 2030, removing a key barrier to EV uptake for the tens of millions of drivers without off-street parking. More than 400 articles generated a surge in partnership enquiries and interest from international institutional investors.
> Read the EV case study
Exposing subsidies that damage nature and climate
We launched research for Business for Nature and B-Team revealing that the world spends $1.8 trillion every year on subsidies that harm the environment and undermine global climate targets: equivalent to 2% of global GDP, the level of investment needed to reach net zero. Widespread media coverage in 14 countries, and retweets from Greta Thunberg, Christiana Figueres, Doug Parr, other major influencers, put the issue firmly on the agenda ahead of this year’s landmark UN Biodiversity Conference.
> Read the Business for Nature case study
Transforming food systems
Greenhouse supported EIT Food to give young people a say on the future of food. We identified Future Food Makers to create a "Menu for Change" calling for action in regenerative agriculture, food waste and food education, launched at Future of Food conference, cited by influential changemakers in the UN and EU.
> Read the EIT Food case study
Launching the UK's biggest plastic clean-up campaign
Greenhouse launched the Surfers Against Sewage Million Mile Beach Clean, calling on 100,000 people to each tackle 10 miles of local beaches. We organised a 50-metre sand art installation highlighting the devastating impacts of plastic pollution on marine wildlife. Campaign generated 300+ pieces of coverage and was shared 1000+ times on social media, within a week the public committed to clean 575,000 miles.
> Read the Surfers Against Sewage Million Mile Beach Clean case study
Taking the government to court over fossil fuel subsidies
We supported three environmental activists seeking a judicial review of UK oil and gas strategy, in a campaign backed by Uplift. We secured 350+ pieces of coverage which highlighted the scale of public subsidies – £14 billion since the Paris Agreement – supporting production that would be uneconomic without subsidy. Greta Thunberg retweeted and our video of activist Mikaela Loach received over half a million views.
> Read the Uplift case study
Planet positive leadership
Greenhouse is a Planet Positive B Corporation, challenging ourselves and others to go ‘Beyond Net Zero’. We invested £22,000 in peatland and rainforest restoration projects that offset more than 20 times our carbon footprint. We gave 10% of our profit in pro-bono support, focusing on youth activists and organisations campaigning for climate justice, we gave 3% to charities supporting climate mitigation. We mentored future leaders from BAME backgrounds, young climate activists in Africa and across the Global South.
We offer green incentives to our team and we pride ourselves on our staff-run wellbeing programme. We recruited six climate activists as interns who have now become employees. Our flexible hours working policy helps staff find the right work-life balance.
Recognition from Business Green Awards makes a huge difference to our ambition and ability to grow. We plan to set up Greenhouse US and Greenhouse Africa this year to increase impact globally.
