For our campaign to succeed, it was critical that the partnership was perceived as a credible, trusted source of information, and retained that trust through the quality of its content and correct editorial labelling (e.g ‘sponsored by’, and ‘brought to you by’). This was especially important given the native advertising revolution, which can ‘muddy waters’ with traditionally little regulation. (The IAB introduced the first native advertising guidelines, in 2015, which state that branded content must be clearly marked).

Unilever was the perfect partner, given their established credibility and authenticity in this area, while the Guardian was ranked the most trusted UK news source by Ofcom’s Digital Media report 2014.

Each month, Guardian readers were challenged to adopt a new sustainable behaviour that impacted beyond the individual. To overcome resistance, the approach was to show that “there’s an easier way to live better”, rather than applying a guilt-driven or privation tack. We tackled the issues of enormity and difficulty, by showing how sustainable living could be easy, and helping people take small, positive steps into their everyday lives.

Our multi-channel content was designed to inform, delight and challenge existing mindsets. We made each challenge more achievable by highlighting the take-up by a Guardian writer, a commentator case study, editorial series such as Vertical Veg, plus practical brand tips e.g. the Food Waste challenge was ‘Don’t throw away edible food - come up with inventive ways to use leftovers’. We also brought challenges to life through real-world experiences. For the Reduce Food Waste challenge, we held a Banana Day at Borough Market with our expert Dinner Doctor, inviting readers to discover the great recipes you can make with bananas.

The campaign results have been outstanding, with high recall and association, significant measurable engagement, and importantly changes in behaviour to sustainability:

• Reach per month: 8.6 million

• Live Better site: 3.4 million unique visitors

• Engagement: 446,000+

• Awareness of Unilever Project Sunlight: 54% (up from 14%)

• Recall of campaign: 58%

• Agreement that Unilever helps them make small changes: 34% (up from 13%)

• Live Better conversations: 9.9 million+ on Twitter

• Positive conversations around Unilever and its brands: increased to high of 160% (Keller Fay)

• 5,000+ teachers used the lesson plans.

But not only that, in just 7 short month, together we saved,

• 10 tonnes of food waste

• 22 tonnes of general waste

• 205 tonnes of water

• 8,000 Kw of energy

• 29 tonnes of CO2

The challenge has contributed to the mainstreaming of sustainability content, taking it from the Environment pages to Life and Style, setting a precedent for a new kind of sustainable journalism.

The stories heroed individuals and communities making a difference. From small community organisations hitting big funding targets, to year 6s setting up a healthy food tuck-shop, the campaign jumped off our pages. It’s inspired the everyday lives of our readers and broader community, more than anyone anticipated.