On 2nd December 2010 the 5th Global Green Awards For Creativity in Sustainability will take place in London. This year the awards include two new categories, one entitled ‘Best Green New Product innovation’ and the second ‘Best Green Educational Project’.

This year for the first time the awards will be truly international, with each category open to all markets, and this fact is reflected within the list of institutional partners, including the WWF and Global Nature Fund among other international organizations, and a shortlist that contains projects and companies from all over the world.

The thing that I find interesting about these awards is the corporate influence visible throughout the organization’s website. Many of the award categories involve marketing and communication strategies, a concept that might at first glance seem strange, but as their website explains the awards address the problem of marketing green ideas and solutions as ‘companies will need to generate “on brand” sustainable innovation quickly and communicate it effectively’.

This mix of marketing, publicity and profit making offers plenty of food for thought. As one pop up on the website states ‘it is important to celebrate initiatives that drive us towards a one planet future, a future in which the production and consumption of services flourish within the Earth’s ecological limits’. In the text alongside it we find ‘In the race for market leadership and differentiation, forward-thinking companies are looking to green innovation as a key to future profitability. We expect that leaders who take full advantage of this burgeoning opportunity will drive long-term growth and increase revenue. As you know those who wait for sustainability mandates to be imposed before acting will likely lose valuable ground’.

The ceremony is open to the public with ticket prices ranging from £180 to £250 per head.