Situation

The only way to stop plastic is a globally binding treaty, the only way to do that is lobby governments.

Brief

Galvanise enough public support to enable the WWF to lobby country governments to support the treaty

Objectives

1: Attitude – grab the people’s attention from around the world.

KPI: Reach 1.75 billion people, generate 100,000 organic posts.

2: Behaviour - galvanize the planet’s people into action.

KPI: 1 million supporters, from 50 different countries.

3: Action – generate commitments from governments.

WWF needed half of the UN’s members to commit to a globally binding plastic treaty in order to start its negotiation. This was securing 97 (over 50% so that it forces a vote) of the 193 member nations ahead the UN Environment summit in mid 2021.

KPI: Public commitment from 97 countries by 2020

1. Make plastic PERSONAL: It had to be shifted from an abstract planetary problem, into a relatable human issue by making it universally understood.

2. Make plastic vivid and UNFORGETTABLE: Plastic in the ocean is out of sight and out of mind. If plastic’s damage could be easily put from people’s thoughts, we had to create reminders in everyday life and prove plastic isn’t just ‘magicked away’ when you put the bins out.

3. Make plastic ACTIONABLE: The problem feels so huge, it feels impossible to act upon. We needed to create a simple, yet compelling call-to-action that made people feel like they could make a difference in order to pressure lawmakers.

What plastic object weighs 5 grams and is ubiquitous around the world, with 20 billion of them in use? A credit card.

YOU ARE EATING A CREDIT CARD A WEEK.

Our target audience, put simply was humans.

We commissioned The University of Newcastle to analyze scientific studies about how plastic was impacting human’s personal environment. The research found that the average human consumes approximately 100,000 microplastics every year.

100,000 microplastics equates to approximately 250 grams of plastic a year which means people are ingesting 5 grams of plastic pollution every week.

We created a simple campaign toolkit for the media, in 11 of the worlds most popular languages, that allowed each of the 40+ WWF offices to create their own media placements wherever they were available.

1. Make plastic PERSONAL: Using the credit card shifted from an abstract planetary problem, into a relatable human health issue that was universally understood.

2. Make Plastic FAMOUS. Plastic Diet was announced to the world’s media via a press conference at WWF’s Singapore HQ. A campaign toolkit was created in 11 of the most spoken global languages

2. Make plastic ACTIONABLE: The problem feels so huge, it feels impossible to act upon. We needed to create a simple, yet compelling call-to-action that made people feel like they could make a difference.

All activity pushed people to an interactive campaign website. Based on diet and geography, people could take a test to see how much plastic they were likely ingesting a week. After feeling the personal impact of plastic pollution, people were compelled to sign the global petition, Finally, a personal protest post with their Plastic Diet

1: Attitude

KPI: Reach 1.75 billion people, generate 100,000 organic posts.

Result: 5.2bn - 300% of target; 600,000 organic posts – 600% of target.

2: Behaviour

KPI: 1 million supporters, from 50 different countries.

Result: 2.03 million supporters, 200% of target; Pledges from 181 countries, 320% of target.

3: Action

KPI: Public commitment of 97 governments by the end of 2020.

Result: 131 governments have publicly called for an agreement on plastic or agreed to consider it – 135% of target.

“More than two-thirds of UN member states have declared they are open to a new agreement to stem the rising tide of plastic waste.” The Guardian.

Plastic Diet has become WWF’s largest and fastest growing single public action in its’ 60-year history, with over 2/3 of the world finally agreeing for the desparate need for change.