Tag: environment

Philippines – Kintab Toothtabs, along with the Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines (MWWP) and BBDO Guerrero, has unveiled a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the environmental dangers associated with plastic toothpaste tubes, particularly their impact on marine wildlife.

The campaign, titled “The Killer Smile,” showcases three powerful visuals featuring iconic marine animals—a dolphin, a whale, and a polar bear. Each striking image portrays these creatures made from toothpaste, dramatically positioned atop a toothbrush, symbolising the deadly impact of plastic waste on marine life.

Created by the BBDO Guerrero team, these visuals highlight the harmful impact of our daily oral healthcare habits on marine wildlife, particularly when plastic waste is discarded irresponsibly.

As part of the campaign, Kintab also introduced a specially designed toothpaste box that features two variants of its toothpaste tablets—Blizzard and Herbed—alongside a bamboo toothbrush for a fully sustainable brushing experience. The packaging, made to connect with consumers visually, includes informative text about the threats posed by plastic to marine wildlife, emphasising that the solution lies within the box itself.

Guilian Sencio, CEO and co-founder of Kintab, expressed, “The Killer Smile is an eye-opening reminder that even the smallest daily habits, like brushing our teeth, have an environmental impact. It’s vital that we make the switch to more sustainable alternatives like Kintab to help protect our oceans and wildlife for future generations.”

The campaign was launched last September at a symposium in BGC, Taguig, in conjunction with Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo), reminding Filipinos of their deep connection to the sea. 

Dr. AA Yaptinchay, the executive director of Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines, said, “Single-use plastics, including the packaging of everyday items like toothpaste, aside from their obvious direct effect when it chokes an animal and smothers its habitat, can break down into microplastics, which are highly toxic to marine wildlife when ingested and can lead to illness and death. It’s crucial that we become mindful of the impact our everyday actions have on the environment, as every piece of plastic that ends up in the ocean threatens the health of our marine ecosystems.”

Meanwhile, Alexandra Lopez, associate creative director of BBDO Guerrero, shared, “Creativity can inspire positive change. Through powerful visuals, we’re not only raising awareness but also sparking a conversation about how our actions, no matter how small, can have a significant impact on the world around us.”

Bengaluru, India – To help improve the air quality for India’s underprivileged school children, nasal health brand Otrivin has launched an initiative called ‘Otrivin Pollution Capture Pencils’ where the brand distributes the ever-essential pencils to young students in Bengaluru. A pretty normal sighting – but with an incredible tech behind it: they are created from pollution by-products. 

The project is in collaboration with Wunderman Thompson Singapore, and in the initial phase of it, Indian innovation company Panjurli Labs was engaged to develop twenty-two specially designed purifiers. These were installed inside and outside school buildings, and for two months, were able to wipe out up to 74% of airborne pollutants and clean over 2 billion cubic feet of toxic air, said the agency.

The process of creating the pencils involved residues being gathered and then mixed with graphite. In the end, the project was able to create 10,000 custom-designed and non-toxic pencils. These were distributed to students and will similarly serve as a fundraising tool to add more air purifiers in local schools.

Farhad Nadeem, global marketing & digital director of Otrivin, shared that the Otrivin ‘Pollution Capture Pencils’ pilot in India is one such action that attempts to convert air pollution into positivity. 

“We hope that this initiative, while not solving India’s pollution challenge, inspires people to take simple actions to make the world a better place to live in and breathe,” Nadeem added.

Meanwhile, Mateusz Mroszczak, chief creative officer of Wunderman Thompson Singapore, commented, “We’re really proud to have partnered with Otrivin to take a small, but meaningful step to help bring cleaner air to India’s children.”

Wunderman Thompson revealed that Bengaluru was chosen as the city to focus on due to its air quality which is considered to go over WHO’s threshold of healthy air. Based on WHO’s data, 98% of Indian children breathe toxic air not just outdoors, but also in their classrooms where they spend almost 8 hours a day in their classes. Furthermore into the project, three low-income schools within the city’s industrial areas of Peenya, Hegganahalli, and Mallasandra were selected. 

In addition, the packaging of the pencils was designed by Indian multidisciplinary artist Gautam Dutta. Dutta said that in conceptualising, he had to visit the schools to find inspiration. Seeing how the children managed to smile despite their situation birthed into the joyful designs by Dutta that aim to represent the children and capture their imagination.