11 Zero Waste and Plastic Pollution Campaigns

All over the world, measures to raise awareness, such as plastic pollution campaigns, are producing results. 

A global survey revealed that 9 in 10 people are on board in fighting against plastic on an international scale². More consumers are also now demanding extended producer responsibility.

However, awareness doesn't always translate to action. In this article, we look at what goes into creating a plastic pollution campaign that inspires action.

First, here's some general advice on running a successful campaign

Here are four winning strategies for pro-environmental campaigns.

1. Customize your message

You should craft your campaign to target a particular demographic because an over-generalized message speaks to no specific person.

Cutting back on plastic waste means different things for different population segments. Therefore, the same campaign might not work for individuals, manufacturers, small businesses, and large companies.

Having a super specific target audience boosts the effectiveness of your campaign.

2. Present actionable solutions

Messages like “stop plastic pollution” or “protect Mother Earth” are excellent but incomplete. They don't offer any ideas on how to fix the problem, and they will probably only cause your audience to feel confused, helpless, and anxious.

The most effective plastic or zero-waste campaigns direct people to clear, meaningful action. If you are campaigning against single-use plastics, you should mention alternatives and how to obtain them. 

3. Show why it matters

Fear and guilt are commonly used in pollution campaigns but often lead to resistance or passivity. Although most people care about the planet, more is needed to trigger a systemic change in their consumption habits.

Your campaign should use research data, case studies, and stories to establish the consequences of action and inaction. 

Bonus points if you can personalize those consequences. For example, highlight how wasteful consumption of resources contributes to economic hardship in communities. Or how specific health issues are related to plastic pollution.

4. Leverage the power of influence

It's common for campaigners to use celebrity ambassadors. People tend to imitate others, and that's how society establishes social norms. Calling on upstanding members of your target audience to endorse your campaign is always a winning move.

Getting a celebrity ambassador might be beyond your budget, so we suggest looking at ordinary people. Seeing one person from the neighborhood or industry take praiseworthy action can influence others to follow suit.

Should you use incentives?

It is not uncommon to see plastic pollution and zero-waste initiatives promising some kind of reward to encourage people to participate. Reward systems effectively spur immediate action and can be vital in encouraging pro-environmental behavior¹.

However, any form of incentive might reduce intrinsic motivation and condition people to behave in environmentally friendly ways only when there's a reward.

11 Successful sustainability campaigns to inspire you

Quick links to the campaigns:

1. Plastic Free July

This campaign is a global movement that challenges people to attempt to live plastic-free for a month.

It gives folks enough time to determine how they want to get involved. The organizers also have enough time to create momentum, raise awareness, and get commitments. 

We love that it doesn't try to induce panic and allows participants to take small steps to break free from plastics.

2. Earth Day

Earth Day was first observed on 22 April 1970 in the United States. Today, millions all over the world join to demonstrate their concern for environmental issues. 

To celebrate, people organize events to plant trees, pick litter, demand policy changes, discuss solutions to pollution and waste, etc. 

Nestled in the middle of Earth Month, this campaign successfully leverages a global network of participants to establish a positive social norm.

3. COOLNow

Compostable Organics Out of the Landfills Now (COOLNow) is a national campaign by Zero Waste USA. Its goal is to encourage people to stop sending organic materials to landfills.

Through their website, they provide research-based information on organic waste. They also organize webinars where industry experts discuss the latest innovations in organic waste management.

Most importantly, they provide tools for composting at household, municipal, or commercial levels. 

4. Open Your Eyes

Plastic Pollution Coalition launched the Open Your Eyes campaign in 2016, leveraging the power of social media and celebrity endorsement. In the 4-minute video, actor Jeff Bridges gives an appealing narrative on the impact of plastics on the earth and human health. 

We love that the campaign highlights specific actions people can take, such as refusing single-use plastic items and wasteful packaging.

5. Global Recycling Day

Global Recycling Day calls on consumers to break free from linear consumption and embrace conservation practices to avoid future scarcity.

First celebrated on March 18, 2018, it has become an annual opportunity for people all over the world to demonstrate support for the recycling industry.

The campaigners lean on the power of influence by highlighting recycling “heroes.” People can quickly get involved by showing how they reuse materials on social media with specific hashtags. 

6. The Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act

The United States generates more plastic than any other country in the world, and the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2021 (BFFPPA) hopes to change that. 

The legislative campaign aims to de-incentivize plastic production, discourage plastic use, and promote reuse. It uses negative (health issues) and positive (zero waste jobs) to show why it matters.

This national-level plastic pollution campaign asks residents of U.S. cities to lend their voice through a clear set of actions.

7. Break Up With Plastic

Telling people to eliminate luxury packaging, water bottles, and other single-use plastic products isn't always well received.

Skillfully executed humor can enhance a campaign's appeal, and that's what the Break Up With Plastic campaign does. It used a comical video in which a girl ends her relationship with plastic. The video was released around Valentine's Day in 2018 and quickly became a meme. Many companies and nonprofits jumped on the trend and created their own “break up with plastics” videos.

8. Unforgettable Bag

The Unforgettable Bag project by TESCO in Malaysia is one of the most successful zero-waste campaigns initiated by a major retailer. The retailer offered customers reusable bags with discount-giving barcodes embedded. So, every time a shopper uses their reusable bag, they can get a nice discount.

The campaign effectively made using single-use plastics for shopping unappealing to TESCO shoppers. If more critical players in the retail industry copied this initiative, plastic production could decrease.

9. #BePlasticWise

This initiative by Ocean Wise aimed to raise awareness about how plastic pollution harms the ocean. Its call was for people to break the habit of consuming single-use plastics and packaging.

The organizers shared research data to provide a solid basis for their campaign. More importantly, they set up a system to guide participants to take action. Anyone who signed up to support the initiative would immediately receive the 12 Plastic Wise challenges.

10. Too Cool for Plastic

In 2018, Iceland Foods, a supermarket chain, declared its intention to eliminate all plastic waste by 2023. To show their commitment, they launched the Too Cool for Plastic campaign, introducing consumers to sustainable packaging. They pulled out all the stops: press releases, surveys, social media, etc.

The call to action for this campaign was simple: Customers simply had to agree via a survey that they would support the company’s transition. In that aspect, the campaign was successful. However, Iceland Foods has yet to achieve its goal of being plastic-free.

11. #ISupportBanPlasticsKE

This plastic pollution campaign proves that one person can make a tremendous difference. In 2015, a Kenyan photojournalist, James Wakibia, kicked off the #ISupportBanPlasticsKE campaign with a social media post. He got a retweet from the Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources.

The newly turned environmental activist entered the streets with the hashtag banner and got people to pose with it. He did this to capitalize on the endorsement and raise awareness about the plastic pollution crisis. It worked because, in 2017, Kenya passed a ban on single-use plastics.