The fourth edition of the Laureus Sport for Good Index was released earlier this week, spotlighting the brands that have been driving social change through their purpose-led campaigns over the last 12 months.

The 11 brands which have been inducted into the Index this year span five industry sectors, including sportswear and apparel manufacturers Puma and Decathlon, consumer products companies Dove, Red Bull and Xbox, and energy providers Enedis and E.ON UK. They join 65 brands that have been inducted into the Index since its inception in 2021, taking the total number to 76.  

This year’s inductees were determined by a ten-person judging panel, who evaluated the entries based on factors such as their impact, wider commitments and commercial viability.

With campaigns covering everything from female participation to reforestation, SportsPro takes a closer look at the initiatives that gained recognition from this year’s judges.

Decathlon

Headquarters: Villeneuve d’Ascq, France

Sector: Sports goods and apparel

Through the Decathlon Foundation, the French sporting goods retailer provides funding to social impact projects around the world that enhance wellbeing, reduce inequalities, and promote environmental stewardship. Last year alone, the foundation helped nearly 45,000 people across 22 countries practice a sport regularly. Recent projects include Sport Pour Tous in Mons, Belgium, where the Decathlon Foundation helped to renovate an old gymnasium which was then used by disabled and vulnerable primary school students for physical activities. Other notable initiatives range from the ‘Miratus’ project in Brazil to the construction of the first skatepark in Lebanon in 2022.

Dove

Headquarters: London, UK

Sector: Consumer products

Dove has worked to address the dropout rates of girls from sports by promoting positive body confidence and inclusivity. Last year, the Unilever-owned personal care brand teamed up with sportswear giant Nike and academic experts to launch its ‘Body Confident Sport’ programme, which was the subject of the company’s Super Bowl LVIII commercial. As of February 2024, the brand has already reached more than 100 million people globally across 150 countries through the initiative, and now has a revised aim of impacting 250 million young lives by 2030.

E.ON UK

Headquarters: United Kingdom

Sector: Energy

Electric utility firm E.ON UK has several partnerships in sports, including with English soccer’s Football Association (FA), the Veloce Extreme E team and Premier League side Nottingham Forest. As part of its role as Forest’s official sustainability partner, the Germany-based company helped Forest launch an energy-generating fan zone in December, which is armed with solar panels that are expected to produce 12,000 kWh of energy annually – enough to power the facility.

Enedis

Headquarters: Puteaux, France

Sector: Energy

Electricity network Enedis served as an official supporter of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The role came about on the back of its work promoting greener stadium operations through ‘The Stadium SOS’ campaign, which aimed to raise awareness of the carbon emissions produced by diesel generators during big events. The centrepiece of the initiative came during a Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille, where the pitchside advertising hoardings glitched, revealing a ‘SOS, plug me in’ message communicated in morse code. The campaign sparked a huge response on social media and was ultimately noticed by organisers of Paris 2024, who were seeking to run the most sustainable Olympics ever.

Lidl

Headquarters: Neckarsulm, Germany

Sector: Consumer products

Supermarket chain Lidl has grown its presence in sport over the past 12 months, sponsoring Uefa Euro 2024 and the 2023 UCI World Championships. In Ireland, it also created a new campaign to boost attendances for the 2024 National Football League season as part of its long-running partnership with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA). Lidl launched the #GetBehindTheFight hashtag to encourage fans to go to a game and film their highlights, with one like on social media earning them €1 off their next Lidl shop. The supermarket giant has now committed more than €10 million to the development and promotion of ladies Gaelic football since first partnering with the LGFA in 2016.

Minute Media

Headquarters: New York, USA

Sector: Technology

During the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup, Minute Media used brands such as The Players’ Tribune, 90min and FanSided to launch the ‘Here To Stay: It’s Not Just a Year, It’s a Movement’ campaign, which challenged brands and media outlets to commit to covering women’s sport more regularly. The campaign generated over 74 million impressions across all partner brand content, as well as more than 58,000 social engagements.

Novelis

Headquarters: Atlanta, USA

Sector: Manufacturing

Novelis is the world’s largest recycler of aluminium and is using its involvement in sport to promote greater sustainability within the industry. In 2017, the firm launched the ‘Recycle for Good’ initiative alongside AMB Sports and Entertainment (AMBSE), which owns the National Football League’s (NFL) Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Atlanta United. The programme pledged to build a new home for every three million cans recycled at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium (MBS). More than14.5 million aluminium cans have been collected as part of the project so far, resulting in four new homes being built through a partnership with Atlanta Habitat for Humanity.