Plastic pollution is a growing global problem, affecting areas around the world, even as far south as Antarctica.
Canadian agencies Publicis Canada and North Strategic recently worked on a pro-bono campaign for NGO Agenda Antarctica, which is tackling this issue head on. To highlight the effect of plastic pollution on Antarctica, the campaign redesigned the continent’s flag from a solid white mass on a blue background, to one filled with dots that represent plastic polluting the landmass.
The campaign’s message is that, even though Antarctica is thought of as a land covered in clean ice and pristine snow, and is largely untouched by humans, tiny particles of plastic are polluting the land. This pollution is keeping it from being a clean white colour, as seen on the redesigned flag, while threatening the health of wildlife and heating up ice sheets.
Publicis Canada chief creative officer Vini Dalvi says the campaign was developed to utilize Antarctica’s flag, and bring to life something that can’t be seen by the human eye in microplastics.
“We came up with the idea to use the most iconic media placement that you have out there – the flag – because it’s one of those icons that’s across every country. You don’t need to understand the language to understand the flag, it’s a kind of universal design,” Dalvi tells strategy.
Dalvi adds that the challenge was figuring out how to get more visibility for the NGO’s work in Antarctica. “Even people that pay attention to environmental issues and causes, they kind of overlook what’s happening in Antarctica,” Dalvi says.
A website, which is written in English, French and Spanish, features the redesigned flag and is set up to encourage people to sign a petition demanding a strong Global Plastics Treaty to curb plastic consumption. The campaign also features involvement from the flag’s initial designer, Graham Bartram.
Agenda Antarctica is an NGO working on the environmental preservation of the Antarctic continent and the Southern Ocean. The organization also researches polar issues and works with the people of the southern regions.
The NGO’s new creative is inspired by a recent study out of the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Researchers collected snow samples from Antarctica, which revealed the presence of microplastics (five millimeters or smaller).
The creative work is a global campaign, and Publicis has reached out to media and influencers both in Canada and internationally to spread the word.
Publicis and Agenda Antarctica are pushing the campaign ahead of April 23 (the day after Earth Day), where a fourth session of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee is scheduled to meet in Ottawa and discuss potentially developing an internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.
