One of the top-rated UK packaging design consultancies, jkr, published last December its third book about design — an observation on 25 great brands, which give us all a good lesson. This brilliant mix of thoughts, trivia, beautiful images and juicy copy titled ‘Champions of Design’ is being given away in electronic form — you can either read it onscreen or download the PDF to your desktop.

Many brands encourage consumers to lead environmentally friendly lives, but just a few of them explain how. Unilever has outlined five core principles, or so called ‘Levers for Change,’ that help brands convince their consumers that sustainable behaviour is a good thing and convert these simple ‘eco actions’ into consistent habits. The consumer product giant has released an e-book titled ‘Inspiring Sustainable Living,’ where one can find a plethora of expert insights revolving around the theme of consumer behavour as well as tips on how to change people’s attitudes and make them adopt more environmentally sustainable lifestyles.

Brands use a plethora of ways to tell the world that they support sustainable practice and manufacture their products with nature in mind. They launch related campaigns, team up with global environmental organizations and release specifically certified products. Promoting the ecological philosophy around the globe, some brands are also targeting youngsters as consumers of tomorrow. PUMA has recently unveiled its new mascot Marmo and released a book about marine life featuring the red creature, and following the sportswear brand, Kimberly-Clark’s Kleenex Cottonelle is also presenting a new children’s book dedicated to the theme of saving orangutans.

2011 is a remarkable year for Coca-Cola and Nivea—in May, the soft drink giant celebrated its 125th anniversary, and the legendary skin care brand is marking its 100th birthday throughout the year with a multi-platform marketing campaign. Just like the beverage manufacturer, Nivea has released a book, the centennial report on the brand’s activity and its story of success in the world.