‘Liter of Light’ movement shines in US ethical advertising award

United States-based Ethical Markets Media has awarded this year’s top ethical media campaigns to ‘A Liter of Light’ from the Philippines and Thai Life Insurance’s ‘Unsung Hero’.

Filipino enterprise ‘Liter of Light’, which lights up homes in off-grid urban communities in the Philippines using accessible materials as simple as a plastic bottle, a few teaspoons of chlorine bleach and water, has won this year’s EthicMark Awards for ‘Best Socially Responsible Advertising Campaign’.

ALiterofLight.org received the EthicMark Awards for the non-profit category, while ‘Unsung Hero’ from Thai Life Insurance received the award in the for-profit category for its portrayal of how small acts of kindness enrich the life of the giver.

The awards were presented by United States-based social enterprise and media outfit Ethical Markets Media and business think tank World Business Academy during the 25th annual SRI Conference on Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing held on November 9 in Colorado, US.

EthicMark Awards, which was founded in 2004 by American futurist Hazel Henderson, aims to transform advertising as a means to inspire and uplift the human spirit by focusing on human potentials while promoting public interests and legitimate businesses. 

The ‘Liter of Light’ campaign has won for demonstrating that anyone can assemble a simple lighting system. 

The ad also showed how the Liter of Light project can be easily replicated and scaled up while also providing business opportunity for low-income communities. The movement has grown since 2011 to brighten up 28,000 homes in Metro Manila alone and has been replicated in India, Indonesia, and even in Switzerland.

Through their media campaigns, both advertisements were recognised for the creativity of their message, the value of the product or service and quality of the company culture, Ethical Markets Media said in a statement.

The ads were also judged based on the following criteria: portrayal of healthy lifestyles and behaviour for consumers; high standards of responsibility and trustworthiness; respect for diversity and human rights, and avoidance of any sordid, sensationalist, or degrading depictions.

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