Are your sponsors aligned with the global goals to limit global warming to 1.5°C, as set out in the Paris agreement?
It’s a tough question.
We understand how important it is to generate income from sponsorships but compromising and accepting income from a sponsor that doesn’t align with sustainability goals and net zero can damage your reputation. It could even make your organisation complicit in contributing to climate change in your sector or industry. Its serious stuff.
So how can you ensure that your sponsor is operating in a way that supports reducing global emissions and net zero targets, rather than the opposite?
Do your homework!
Take the time to look into your sponsor’s business when negotiating sponsorship, and be sure to consider their entire organisation.
For instance, your sponsor could be promoting themselves as a ‘green’ company but their whole range of services may not line up with those claims. Associations that secure sponsorships from companies whose policies, clients, products, or services don’t align are supporting greenwashing. If your sustainability awards or ESG conference are being sponsored by a company that is not green, you are at risk being accused of misalignment and supporting of their greenwashing too.
Sustainable Sponsorship Checklist
We’ve put together a checklist to help you determine if your sponsors policies, business practices and products align with net zero and that they have credible, science-based policies in place.
This Sustainable Sponsorship Checklist will guide you through the key points to consider, questions to ask and information to gather from your sponsors.
We understand that many sponsorship professionals may feel uncomfortable asking sponsors too many questions, especially on a topic they know little about or out of fear of scaring them off or missing out on essential income.
However, it's important to get comfortable to having these conversations and get used to incorporating these questions into your regular sponsorship development and sales discussions.
The Sustainable Sponsorship Checklist
Questions to Ask Your Sponsors & Prospective Sponsors
It's key that sponsors align on sustainability and net zero goals requires careful planning and clear communication. Here are key points to consider:
1. Shared Vision and Values
Mission Alignment: Ensure your sponsor has a commitment to sustainability and a target to achieving net zero emissions.
Sustainability Goals: Confirm that the sustainability goals of your sponsor align with those of your organisation, including specific targets and timelines for achieving net zero emissions.
2. Due Diligence
Background Check: Conduct thorough research on the sustainability practices, policies and track record.
Certifications and Standards: Verify your sponsor adheres to recognised environmental standards and certifications e.g. ISO, Race to Zero, SBTi, Carbon Trust, CAFA.
3. Avoid Greenwashing:
Checks: Ensure that your sponsors sustainability claims are genuine and substantiated to avoid accusations of greenwashing or being an accomplice to Greenwashing.
4. Advocacy and Leadership
Industry Leadership: Does your sponsor lead or participate in industry initiatives for climate action?
Public Policy Advocacy: Does the sponsor advocate for strong climate policies that support the 1.5°C goal?
Transparent Communication: Are they transparent about their challenges and successes in achieving their climate goals?
5. Clear Objectives and Expectations
Define Objectives: Clearly outline your sustainability and net zero expectations for the partnership and of the sponsor.
Performance Metrics: Establish relevant, and time-bound asks from your sponsor. For instance, it's key you get your sponsor to travel to the event sustainably, not bring plastics into the venue etc.
6. Contractual Agreements
Sustainability Clauses: Include specific clauses in the sponsorship agreement that outline the expectation of the sponsor e.g., no plastics, only recyclable merchandise, no promotion of products or services that are not aligned to reaching the Paris Agreement. Attach your sustainability policy into your agreement or share with your sponsors separately. (see our free template sustainable sponsorship policies below)
Penalties and Incentives: If appropriate, define penalties for non-compliance. For instance, if your sponsor does not comply with your sustainability policies you may not offer them the opportunity to sponsor activity in the future.
7. Transparent Communication
Regular Updates: Set up a schedule for regular progress updates and meetings include sustainability into your agenda as part of the sponsorship delivery
Public Reporting: Agree on a plan for promoting sustainability efforts and achievements of your sponsored activity and the sponsor to ensure transparency and accountability.
8. Collaboration and Support
Joint Initiatives: is there a way that you can help your sponsor? Collaborate to ensure the activity and sponsorship has little impact, waste, is efficient and aligned.
9. Resource Sharing:
Share Resources: Information, Knowledge, and expertise sharing to support each other’s sustainability efforts.
10. Monitoring and Evaluation:
Continuous Improvement: Establish a framework for continuous improvement of your sponsorship, including net zero and sustainability into this. Allow for adjustments and enhancements to sustainability practices over time.
11. Communications & Stakeholder Engagement
Internal Engagement: Ensure your sponsors engage their respective employees in the sustainability initiatives to foster a culture of sustainability.
External Engagement: Communicate with external stakeholders, including customers, investors, and the community, about the sustainability efforts and achievements of the partnership.
12. Innovation:
Encourage innovative approaches to achieving sustainability and net zero goals, such as adopting best practices.
Flexibility: Be prepared to adapt the partnership and strategies as new information, technologies, or regulatory requirements emerge.
13. Ethical Practices:
ESG: Both parties should commit to ethical business practices that go beyond environmental sustainability, including social and economic responsibility and influenced emissions.
Actions to take with sponsors
Ask the Questions: Ask your sponsors/potential sponsors for information to evidence their net zero plans.
Gap Analysis: If a sponsor cannot provide the information needed to ensure their activities, policies and values align with the 1.5°C goal, identify gaps and suggest improvements over time.
Collaboration on Initiatives: Work together to develop initiatives that support the sponsorship to be as sustainable as possible.
Annual Review/Ongoing Dialogue: Establish regular check-ins to monitor progress and adjust plans as necessary. If a plan isn’t in place for this year’s event/sponsored activity, you can continue with the sponsorship on the condition that the sponsor provides more evidence of progress prior to their next sponsorship with you.
This checklist and set of actions will help ensure your sponsors are truly committed and aligned to both your own company, sustainability policies and credible and impactful climate action, making your partnership a force for positive change.
Remember, this works both ways and sponsors are increasingly expecting that the associations and the activity they sponsor are equally aligned with positive climate action and global net zero laws and requirements.
Download this Checklist here.
Sustainable Sponsorship Policy Template
We have teamed up with with Climate Action for Associations (CAFA) and The Sponsorship Toolkit to develop a free sustainable sponsorship policy.
Download your copy here.
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