Banco de Bogotá Furnishes Apartment Entirely with River Trash in Pollution Awareness Campaign

The Bogotá river passes through 47 Colombian municipalities and among them is the capital, Bogotá, that has a population of over nine million people. Its path has 380km long and 97% of it is contaminated due to the 270 tons of solid waste collected monthly. All kinds of garbage gets thrown to the river: microwaves, sofas, decoration objects, toys, beds and home appliances are just some examples of what can be found.

With the support of McCann Worldgroup Colombia, Banco de Bogotá in alliance with #GrupoRíoBogotá launched 'The River Apartments', a space furnished entirely with the trash found in the river that seeks to educate the community about the water source’s pollution and how to properly dispose solid waste. Users can view a virtual tour to explore the space and learn more.

Luc Jean Jacques Zuelgaray, communications and marketing director at Banco de Bogotá, said: "The River Apartments is a simple yet powerful way for the Banks new brand platform 'Cambiando Contigo' (Changing with you) to have meaning in people´s lives by inviting them to be in constant evolution.”

Banco de Bogotá’s strategy manager, Juan Gómez, added: “Who didn’t know that the Bogotá river was the most polluted in our country? Who was surprised with this reality? The first question had a positive answer, the second one, not that much, and that´s what needed to change. We had to communicate this issue in a relatable and tangible way so that the people could truly understand it. A ton of waste sounds like anything but talking about a washing machine, a mattress or a fridge… enough to furnish an entire apartment complex, sounds like a huge problem. A problem that, through these types actions is trying to be solved, demonstrating that Banco de Bogotá is fully committed to fixing it.”

Diana Triana, general creative director at McCann Worldgroup Colombia and Jairo Restrepo and Eduardo Quirós of the campaign creative team, concluded: “This idea explores a new way of communicating and creating awareness on this problem that has been happening for many years. We have ignored that amounts of trash we produce in our homes for decades, and it´s time to do something about it by allowing some of that trash to come back home and reminds us how we should treat it.”