DISPOSABLE FOREST

Short List
TitleDISPOSABLE FOREST
BrandGREENPEACE
Product / ServiceGREENPEACE
CategoryC01. Best Integrated Campaign Led by PR
EntrantOGILVY BEIJING, CHINA
Entrant Company:OGILVY BEIJING, CHINA
PR/Advertising Agency:OGILVY BEIJING, CHINA

Credits

Name Company Position
Bill Chan Ogilvy Beijing Executive Creative Director
Doug Schiff Ogilvy Beijing Executive Creative Director
Wilson Chow Ogilvy Beijing Associate Executive Creative Director
Shiyang He Ogilvy Beijing Associate Creative Director
Doug Schiff Ogilvy Beijing Copywriter
Lianhui Hao Ogilvy Beijing Copywriter
Shiyang He Ogilvy Beijing Art Director
Shujie Qi Ogilvy Beijing Art Director
Gongxing Wang Ogilvy Beijing Art Director
Dong Liu Ogilvy Beijing Digital Art Director
Xiaoxin Yang Ogilvy Beijing Digital Art Director
Ajie Liu Ogilvy Beijing Flash Designer
Tracy Wu Ogilvy Beijing Agency Producer
Yong Zhang Ogilvy Beijing Agency Producer
Shujie Qi Ogilvy Beijing Illustrator
Raymond Tao Ogilvy Beijing Account
Yoyo Liu Ogilvy Beijing Account
Vivian Guo Ogilvy Beijing Account
Cara Fan Ogilvy Beijing Account

The Campaign

Every ten seconds a tree is cut down in China to supply the nation’s daily demand for disposable chopsticks. Greenpeace decided to recycle 84,000 pairs and turn them back into trees. A ‘Disposable Forest’ was placed in a popular Beijing shopping area. Greenpeace handed out permanent-use chopsticks and encouraged people to make a pledge not to use disposable ones. The event gained so much attention from broadcast, print and online media that over 100,000 people were encouraged to make the pledge while over 2,000 restaurants took the step to stop supplying disposable chopsticks. Greenpeace is now working with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), to create a pan-Asian pledge.

The Brief

Through research, Greenpeace had learned that most Chinese tend to be complacent about environmental issues, as they feel such topics are the responsibility of the government. But at the same time, younger, urban Chinese were becoming more and more concerned about such issues. Greenpeace felt that the right campaign might be able to make inroads into the public awareness about disposable chopsticks.

Results

Over 100,000 made their pledge not to use disposable chopsticks in just the first two weeks after the event. The tremendous media coverage served the forest preservation cause but clearly helped the Shi Mao Tian Jie retail business as well. Support for the event was so encouraging, in fact, that Greenpeace China is now working with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), to create a pan-Asian pledge later this year.

Execution

Greenpeace and Shi Mao Tian Jie (The Place) shopping centre worked as one to put an event together that would have far more impact than a conventional ad campaign. A “Disposable Forest” of 16-foot tall trees was created out of 84,000 used, recycled chopsticks, and placed right between the shopping center’s two building wings. While Greenpeace handed out permanent-use chopsticks at the event, restaurants within the shopping centre also gave discounts to those who brought the permanent-use chopsticks.

The Situation

Last year 3.8 million trees in China, one every 10 seconds of every day, were cut down to supply the nation’s demand for an astounding 57 billion disposable chopsticks. A main area of environmental concern for Greenpeace is forest preservation. So they wanted to create a campaign that could help to make a difference.

The Strategy

Greenpeace wanted to work with a prominent shopping center in Beijing to create an event that would get media attention and build awareness about how disposable chopstick usage contributes to forest destruction.