The Sponsors

Needing to raise over £2000 towards my contribution to my upcoming expedition to Bardia in Nepal, I contacted the marketing team for ‘Thirst Pockets®’; a brand of kitchen towel that features an elephant on every pack.

“With the power of an elephant in just one sheet, Thirst Pockets® kitchen towel absorbs spills and locks in moisture through unique pocket technology. This makes the Thirst Pockets elephant the perfect ambassador for our super strong Thirst Pockets kitchen towel.”

My pitch

I wrote an email that said:

“Picture a typical UK housewife using Thirst Pockets® kitchen towel to clean an elephant!

Not just any elephant; this elephant is carrying the housewife in search of the largest elephants in the world to gather data towards preserving the herd…

Now link this concept with Georgia Pacific’s commitment to delivering significant contributions that support its neighbours and the environment.”

To my unending surprise and delight, my pitch was answered with a resounding ‘yes please’.

Corporate Social Responsibility

My timing had turned out to be perfect. The Thirst Pockets® brand team had decided to make supporting elephant conversation a significant part of the 2012 campaign  when my email popped into their inbox!

Like other successful big household companies, such as Coca-Cola, Procter and Gamble, Café Direct and Marks & Spencer, Georgia-Pacific via its Thirst Pockets® brand are taking corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability seriously.

“The Thirst Pockets® brand believes it is up to all of us to ensure that these magnificent creatures survive and thrive. The elephant has been our emblem for the past 6 years.” Vicky Williams, Thirst Pockets marketing manager at Georgia Pacific

My thanks

So, while I must offer my heartfelt thanks to Georgia-Pacific, and disclose that I shall forever more be slightly biased in my selection of kitchen towel, and may at times, slip a quick ‘Yippee for Thirst Pockets® brand!’ message into my blogs, tweets and Facebook messages, I will continue to remain true to myself.

The fact is, I elect to buy Thirst Pockets® kitchen towel because, by doing so, I can have the benefits of a great kitchen towel while knowing that elephants and elephant projects will benefit from critical financial support that they might otherwise struggle to find. I like my household comforts but also like to think I’m doing my best to consider the environment. I am, after all, a self-confessed housewife from middle-England.

I really do believe in CSR and the power of big brands to provide genuine help and support for wildlife, ecological and conservation projects worldwide. We all have to find a way to live together successfully and sustainably after all and I don’t know about you, but I’m not keen on giving up too many of my modern-day comforts to do so. That’s just my reality. I want to eat cake, drink coffee, wipe up spills quickly and easily and live on a healthy planet too!