Planet Ark’s plastic waste monster

September 20, 2018

In collaboration with HP, the Australian company has highlighted the threat of plastic waste with a new report and art installation.

The report found that Australians consider marine plastic pollution as their top concern, in terms of environmental sustainability. Only around 12 percent of plastic is recycled annually, meaning that up to 130,ooo tonnes is still floating into the oceans, according to B&T.

This fact was the basis of the new campaign, which saw HP Australia team up with Wunderman Bienalto to create the idea of a beast which has entered the seas without invitation, and which is killing marine life.

As well as appearing across social media and in-store promotions, the Beast has also been brought to life in four-metre-tall form at Sydney’s Circular Quay, an “iconic harbourside location.”

The Beast took a team of engineers and builders four weeks to build, and weighs 200 kilograms. It is specifically designed to provoke public connection, with its large, bulbous yellow eyes situated to human eye-level.

Frank Martelli, Creative Director of Wunderman Bienalto, which helped bring the Beast to life, said: “Sustainability is something we are passionate about, so it was great to work with HP and bring this story to life. We set out to create an idea that would take a new approach on sustainability and bring the size of the plastic problem to life. Australia is known for having some of the world’s deadliest creatures and by positioning plastic as our ocean’s biggest predator we were able to personify the problem.”

Alongside the Beast itself, a team of ambassadors will educate the public on the consequences of plastic pollution, and the extent of the problem, as well as dispensing advice on how to tackle it. Individuals and businesses alike will be encouraged to “Break Down The Beast” by recycling their used printer cartridges, through Planet Ark’s Cartridges 4 Planet Ark programme.

HP has been collaborating with Planet Ark closely since 2003. Together, the two companies commissioned PHD Research to carry out the HP Australia Environmental Sustainability Study 2018, to ascertain what businesses, and consumers of differing generations, think in terms of environmental protection. The outreach strategy was accompanied by targeted media across print, broadcast, and online, all of which ran in conjunction with the Beast being unveiled.

Another of the Beast’s creators, Jake Ford, Business Director of Traffik Group Melbourne, explained: “Bringing our ocean’s biggest predator to life experientially was a creative challenge, which our team loved taking on. We focused on ensuring our impression of the plastic beast was enough to grab the attention of the Australian public, as well as businesses, to further encourage evaluating our total plastic footprint.”

For its part, HP Australia has recycled more than 11 million cartridges through Cartridges 4 Planet Ark, as of August this year. Head of Print Marketing at HP South Pacific, Ruben Ahmed, elaborated on the project.

“We needed a pulse on how Aussies were feeling about environmental sustainability and our research found that over 90 per cent of respondents were concerned and that they look to brands to guide them,” Ahmed explained. “HP has been in this space for a long time, but there was an opportunity for further awareness. We also wanted a very different creative approach, one that called out single-use plastic for what it is – a major threat to our ocean creatures.”

Categories : Around the Industry

Tags : Australia Cartridges 4 Planet Ark HP HP Australia OEM Planet Ark Plastic Waste