Marks & Spencer, Aldi, Lidl and Sainsbury’s among retailers that now hold the Neighbourly Mark
Shoppers and employees can now more easily learn about what sits behind supermarkets’ claims about supporting local communities as part of a new initiative that also shines a light on the charities, food banks and good causes receiving that support. They can do this by clicking or scanning the new Neighbourly Mark, as a number of retailers become eligible to roll it out in stores and online.
Neighbourly is a platform that supports big businesses’ community impact programmes through a network of more than 45,000 vetted local charities and good causes. The Neighbourly Mark is a clickable and scannable participation badge that gives people a direct route to community activity recorded through the venture.
Partners can place the Mark on websites, apps, shop windows and workplace signage as they adopt it. By scanning or clicking on the badge, audiences can access a public Neighbourly profile showing the funding, volunteering and surplus products donated by the organisation through the platform. The Mark also makes community programmes easier for employees to find and recognise, while giving procurement teams a public record of social value delivered.
Steve Butterworth, Chief Executive Officer at Neighbourly, says: “Businesses can say they give back to local communities, but the details are often difficult to find for the people who care about them the most and it is a delicate balance for businesses wanting to publicly evidence their support for good causes. The Neighbourly Mark provides real-time proof in the places people already meet the brand; if you want to know what sits behind the claim, you can simply click or scan it.”
“It is increasingly important to customers deciding who to trust, to employees who want to see what their company contributes, and to buyers looking for evidence of past social value delivery. It also makes the starting point for understanding the company’s commitment much more useful than a claim on its own.”
The founding Neighbourly Mark partners include the following retail, consumer goods, food, drink, and hospitality brands: Marks & Spencer, B&Q, Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Aldi, William Hill, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), Müller, Heineken UK and Pret A Manger.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Ethical retail will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
