John West takes gold at Banksia Sustainability Awards

Australia’s increasing appetite for sustainability was highlighted at the 2016 Banksia Sustainability Awards, which received a 20% increase in entries this year.

The winner of the prestigious Banksia Gold Award, as well as the Communication for Change Award, was John West. Owned by Simplot Australia, John West this year joined with WWF-Australia and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in a commitment to help end unsustainable fishing methods within the canned tuna industry in Australia.

After changing its tuna supply chain to the world’s best standard in sustainability, John West engaged Cummins&Partners, Mango Australia and Initiative to come up with a captivating social and environmental message that promoted pro-social behaviour. The John West Australia MSC campaign launched on 3 February 2016 and was in market until the end of April.

“We’re thrilled to have partnered with John West to create this campaign, reframing what sustainability means to consumers,” said Tom Ward, managing director of Cummins&Partners Melbourne. “As a result, Australians have started to change their behaviour at the supermarket shelf and all signs point to this continuing.”

The Banksia Sustainability Awards are the longest running acknowledgement of commitment to sustainability in Australia, recognising Australian individuals, communities, businesses and government. The full list of 2016 winners can be found at http://banksiafdn.com/2016-winners/.