How Special and Better Packaging Co. Raised a Stink on Bondi Beach
Better Packaging Co., in collaboration with Special New Zealand, Special PR, and The Glue Society, made a bold statement on World Environment Day by erecting a four-metre-high installation on Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach.
This installation takes the simple yet effective form of a massive plastic poo, representing the alarming amount of plastic pollution that plagues our oceans every 30 seconds. The aim of this visually striking display is to generate global awareness and encourage businesses to prioritise sustainable practices and choices.
LBB’s Tom Loudon spoke to Stu Mallarkey, executive creative director at Special, and Kate Bezar, head of brand and impact at Better Packaging Co., to learn more about the creation of the campaign, and to uncover the details of the company’s POLLAST!C range, and their contribution to reducing plastic pollution.
LBB> What was the inspiration behind creating a four-metre-high plastic poo installation on Bondi Beach? How does this visual representation help raise awareness about the issue of plastic pollution in our oceans?
Stu> The team at Better Packaging Co is on an amazing mission: designing revolutionary, custom packaging within a circular economy model – where generating waste is not an option and the earth’s resources are not treated as infinite. We wanted to create something that matched their ambition and highlighted the plastic pollution problem we all share. We landed on a 4m high emoji poop filled with ocean-bound plastic waste serving as a visual reminder of the staggering volume of plastic waste that finds its way into the world’s oceans every 30 seconds.
For maximum impact, we dropped it on Bondi Beach to coincide with World Environment Day (June 5) and World Ocean Day (June 8). The theme of this year's global program is #BeatPlasticPollution, with initiatives taking place worldwide.
LBB> The UN Environment Programme's report suggests that global plastic pollution could be reduced by 80% by 2040 through practical changes like increased reuse of plastics. How does Better Packaging Co.'s new range of POLLAST!C products contribute to this goal, and what sets them apart from traditional packaging solutions?
Kate> BPCo.’s POLLAST!C Range is made from 100% recycled Ocean Bound Plastic pollution collected from coastal regions in Southeast Asia. This means that it quite literally ‘cleans up’. It took 18 months of dedicated R&D for BPCo to crack how to make packaging (courier mailers, poly garment bags and more) from recycled plastic pollution. By turning this pollution into something of worth, that its customers are willing to pay for, BPCo is able to fund the rescue of this pollution from the natural environment by its collection partners. They are the first in the world to make this kind of packaging from 100% recycled Ocean Bound Plastic pollution.
Most ‘sustainable packaging’ does ‘less bad’ for the environment, but this packaging actually does a tonne of good. It’s not just sustainable, it’s regenerative.
LBB> Could you provide more details about the process of retrieving and recycling plastic pollution from Southeast Asia to create the POLLAST!C products? How do you ensure the quality and sustainability of the recycled materials used in your packaging?
Kate> Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP) is plastic waste certified to meet the following key criteria: it has been abandoned in an area with no formal waste management infrastructure and is within 50km of the coast. Better Packaging Co. recycles certified OBP collected from Southeast Asia - a region with very little formal waste management and subject to monsoon rains that turn its rivers into what has been termed ‘plastic superhighways’ for their ability to transfer plastic quickly and easily to the ocean. More information regarding the OBP certification process and criteria can be found here.
The materials are also all certified to the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) - product standard for tracking and verifying the content of recycled materials in a final product. The standard supports companies looking to verify the recycled content of their products as well as responsible social, environmental, and chemical practices in the production of these products.
Both these certifications, as well as verifying the origin of the plastic pollution we collect, also have checks and balances built into them to ensure the welfare of the people involved in the process.
LBB> What specific actions or commitments do you hope businesses will take as a result of this campaign? How do you plan to measure the impact and effectiveness of your efforts?
Kate> The aim of the campaign is primarily to raise awareness of the global plastic issue but also to encourage businesses to reduce how much new (virgin) plastic they use and incorporate more recycled content in their packaging. Better Packaging Co is at the heart of helping businesses find solutions globally.
The world already has more than enough plastic in it, we just need to get better at recycling it. When brands begin to demand increased recycled content, the R&D to make that happen will quickly follow.
In terms of measuring impact, the APCO reports that Australian flexible packaging contains only 1% recycled content, an increase in that % would be a win! General brand awareness of BPCo and POLLAST!C across trade and consumer audiences. Earned social media awareness – across trade and consumer outlets. The key message we were wanting to drive is about the staggering amount of plastic pollution entering our oceans every 30 seconds.
LBB> What considerations did you take into account to ensure the message resonates with audiences in Australia, New Zealand, and globally?
Stu> We knew this message needed to be simple and iconic, a symbol that transcends language. So a pile of plastic sh!t shaped like the iconic poop emoji seemed to work. A confronting symbol of the plastic pollution problem we all face. Placing it on Australia's busiest beach on World Environment Day (June 5th) was hugely important, as well as being close to the water for visual impact.
LBB> How do you navigate the balance between capturing attention and ensuring the seriousness of the issue is not overshadowed or trivialised?
Stu> Aussies and Kiwis have a particular sense of humour and aren’t prone to be prudish. We knew they’d see the fun side as well as the confronting aspect of the installation. We also worked with the incredible team at The Glue Society to make this as real as possible, you can’t help but be in awe of the craft, which shows the amount of care and effort that has been taken to deliver such an important message.
LBB> In addition to the installation, what other channels or tactics are you employing to distribute the campaign's message and engage with audiences? Are there any partnerships or collaborations in place to amplify the campaign's reach?
Kate> We partnered with Aquabumps – Australia’s top beach photographer, to capture fine art photography of the scene to ensure locals, surfers and beach lovers are engaged with the activity. Earned media was an important channel for the success of the activation, so tactically, driving global news, particularly the UK, where the story would resonate was key. The story gained tabloid UK media coverage, including Indy100 and gained the number one spot in viral news of the week.
All BPCo’s customer base received an EDM containing links to collateral and encouraging them to promote their association with BPCo and amplify through their channels
LBB> What challenges did you face during the development and execution of this campaign? How did you overcome them, and what lessons have you learned along the way?
Stu> Our main focus was ensuring the installation was as sustainable as the message we were delivering. It took a lot of people, calls, zooms, and chats to achieve this, but I can say it’s one sustainable poo! Made of recycled air conditioning units, reused fishing nets, and ocean-bound plastic. Made of reused fishing nets, plastic waste and recyclable tubing. Which is all now in temporary storage, hopefully, to go on tour soon.
The fact the sculpture was only up for one day meant that the campaign had to be meticulously planned, and hoped that luck was on our side with the weather (it was!). Bump-in was at 3.30 am, and we started shooting at sunrise to get the required assets dispatched as quickly as possible to get PR picked up.
Finally – getting a huge poo on Bondi Beach is no mean feat, so a big thanks to Waverley Council for taking a leap of faith to deliver such an important message!
