A staggering 16,000 tons of waste is dumped in Hong Kong each day. Despite heavy penalties, littering remains a citywide problem.

One of the biggest problems in this incredibly law abiding society, is that litter is a faceless crime – if you don’t catch someone red-handed, they go unpunished.

Partnering with local initiative Hong Kong CleanUp, on Global Earth Day, with the objective of creating social change to raise awareness about the extent of littering, pinpointing that each of us is responsible to some extent. Giving people a real reason to stop littering, beyond mere social consciousness. Through the campaign, we reminded people that littering is a real crime.

In advance of Earth Day 2015, litter samples were collected from high traffic areas. These samples were sent to Parabon Nanolabs, where DNA was extracted and analyzed – creating an exacting genetic profile.

Launching on Earth Day 2015, the facial composites appeared as posters and digital screens throughout the city, and most importantly back at the scene of the crime. Social media supported the campaign with paid posts and an educational video – creating the ultimate name and shame campaign. During the 14 day campaign period, the campaign reach over 3.9 million people across Social Media, and had a PR advertising value of HK$5million from global media exposure.

In advance of Earth Day, litter was collected from identified high traffic / high litter areas. To prevent the problem at source, posters and digital banners were developed and placed in outdoor locations, MTR stations, and back at the exact litter site, the scene of the crime. Locations were selected to make people stop and think. Social media was used to communicate the message online, educating and encouraging social change. Hong Kongers engaged the campaign on daily commutes, implanted into daily routine, and through targeted social media.

With the objective of creating social change, creating awareness and ultimately changing behavior, the video and posts engaged over 3.9million people on Social Media across Twitter and Facebook, with the educational video having a total 827,546 views. The response from the public has been immense with the campaign spreading outside of Hong Kong and into South East Asia and even as far as the US and Brazil with an earned media value for the period of HK$5million.