Tag: Sustainability

Australia – Tourism Fiji has teamed up with Havas Host to introduce a new cleanup initiative aimed at encouraging Fijians and visitors to reduce litter across the islands by responsibly disposing of waste, even in the absence of public bins.

Developed by Havas Host, the ‘If you can’t bin it, bag it’ initiative addresses the challenge posed by the shortage of public rubbish bins, recognising that a campaign focused solely on encouraging people to dispose of litter in bins would be insufficient.

With this in mind, Tourism Fiji and Havas Host distributed specially designed, sustainably made reusable tote-style bags to inspire Fijians with a practical way to take their litter with them until they find a suitable bin.

The campaign also features an illustrated mascot named Kasikasi, a small Fijian hermit crab who cleverly uses his shell as a bag to carry rubbish until he finds a bin. Serving as the face of responsible waste management, Kasikasi will be prominently showcased throughout the initiative in visuals, music, and on reusable bags.

To further enhance the campaign’s impact, Havas Host partnered with local artists to infuse the initiative with authentic Fijian creativity. Fijian musician Kuki composed the campaign’s catchy jingle, while illustrator Lily Vallance contributed vibrant designs that appear on visuals and reusable bags. The song will air on radio and digital platforms, aiming to inspire behaviour change by educating locals—especially children—on the importance of keeping Fiji litter-free.

Brent Hill, CEO of Tourism Fiji, said, ”We are thrilled to launch the ‘If you can’t bin it, bag it’ campaign alongside our dedicated partners. This initiative embodies our commitment to sustainable tourism practices and highlights the collective responsibility we share in safeguarding Fiji’s environment. As we roll out this initiative, we encourage all Fijians and visitors to embrace the ethos of ‘If you can’t bin it, bag it.’”

Srishti Narayan, chief marketing officer at Tourism Fiji, added, “As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability, we believe collaborating with communities, industry, and the government can greatly preserve Fiji’s natural beauty. We appreciate our numerous partners who have joined us in this endeavour. It is now over to all of us in Fiji—locals and tourists—to grab a bag, either the specially designed bags or any reusable bag, and to dispose of our waste thoughtfully and keep Fiji clean and beautiful.”

The campaign will run across roadside billboards and other OOH locations, newspapers, radio, and digital platforms, with reusable bags available at various outlets throughout Fiji.

Signs featuring Kasikasi will be strategically placed in litter-prone areas such as beaches, walking paths, and parks, serving as reminders for people to hold onto their rubbish until they find a proper bin.

Ant Moore, MD of Havas Host, said, “This is an exciting initiative that fosters a change in behaviour among different generations through multiple partners and channels. We are thrilled to help bring it to life and look forward to its benefits for Fiji and its natural beauty.”

The Tourism Fiji-led campaign is backed by a coalition of 15 travel and tourism industry partners, including top resorts and hotels, reflecting a unified commitment to environmental conservation across the industry.

Hong Kong – AIA has announced its partnership with British rock band Coldplay for the highly anticipated ‘Music Of The Spheres’ World Tour, which will make its Hong Kong debut at Kai Tak Sports Park in April 2025. This collaboration reflects AIA’s commitment to sustainability and community well-being, aligning with its efforts to create meaningful experiences that inspire healthier, longer, and better lives.

Coldplay’s ‘Music Of The Spheres’ World Tour has sold over 10 million tickets since its March 2022 launch. Renowned for its visual, emotional, and energetic performances, the tour has earned widespread acclaim. 

Additionally, the world tour is recognised as a model for sustainable events, incorporating numerous initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, minimise consumption, and support green technology. The tour is backed by a dedicated website outlining its sustainability efforts, guided by three core principles: reduce, reinvent, and restore.

In the tour’s website, the British rock band stated, “Where we cannot reduce, we will be drawing down any unavoidable emissions following the guidance within the Oxford Principles for Net-Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting.”

AIA’s sponsorship of the ‘Music Of The Spheres’ world tour aligns with the company’s commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG). Through this partnership, AIA aims to promote sustainability while enhancing the concert experience for attendees and making a positive contribution to society.

Alger Fung, chief executive officer of AIA Hong Kong & Macau, said, “AIA is dedicated to creating memorable and delightful experiences that encourage individuals to live ‘Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.’ We are honoured to be in this partnership to bring extraordinary world-class musicians like Coldplay to Hong Kong. With their performance taking place at the brand-new Kai Tak Sports Park, we believe it will create a refreshing experience for all participants, appealing to both locals and tourists, supporting the mega-event economy, and benefiting Hong Kong in multifaceted ways.

Before partnering with Coldplay, AIA Hong Kong had already launched several initiatives to boost the city’s mega-event economy. Alongside hosting the iconic AIA Carnival, the company was the main sponsor of BLACKPINK’s BORN PINK World Tour in Hong Kong in 2023, creating memorable experiences for customers and the wider community.

Asia Pacific – Social commerce and conscious consumerism have emerged as top contributors to online shopping behaviours in Asia-Pacific, according to logistics company DHL’s latest report. 

In a survey including Australia, China, India, Malaysia, and Thailand, more than 90% of respondents reported that they have purchased from social media platforms. In China, Douyin, WeChat, and Kuaishou users also purchase from the platforms. In Thailand, 7 out 10 shoppers use the TikTok application, while Instagram and Facebook are used for online shopping in India.

Meanwhile, conscious consumerism is also on the rise with 70% of online shoppers viewing sustainability as an important factor before purchasing items online. Finding sustainability as a significant consideration are 83% of Indian shoppers, 77% of Thai shoppers, 67% of Malaysian shoppers, 59% of Chinese shoppers and 57% of Australian shoppers.

Consumers also prefer to know if their deliveries are climate-friendly with 73% of social media shoppers saying they want to know the carbon dioxide emissions of their delivery. 

Consequently, 75% of shoppers report knowing their delivery provider before purchasing online in pursuit of efficiency and reliability. 

“Online shopping behaviors are changing rapidly, driven by the rise of social commerce, conscious consumerism, and increased consumer spending. These present both opportunities and challenges for e-commerce businesses looking to penetrate and thrive in a dynamic Asia-Pacific market. With the region’s e-commerce market expected to reach over $3 trillion by 2028, businesses must tailor their strategies to target and engage online buyers, who have a plethora of shopping platform alternatives. This also means voluntarily offering information on carbon emissions and providing reliable delivery options to differentiate from competitors,” Pablo Ciano, chief executive officer at DHL eCommerce, said.

“Asia Pacific consumers will only continue to transact more online. With virtual reality, artificial intelligence and metaverse anticipated to redefine customer engagement and online shopping, companies must be quick to adapt to consumer expectations, by reducing the business’s environmental impact and picking a trusted delivery partner. Only then can companies expand their customer base and foster customer loyalty,” Ciano added.

Hong Kong – Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential plc in Asia and Africa, and Warner Bros. Discovery in Asia Pacific (WBD) are collaborating on a content series called ‘Decode with Prudence’ to help educate audiences on the planet, human lives and their livelihood. 

Through fact-based storytelling, ‘Decode with Prudence’ aims to provide informative, engaging content on current issues that inspire actions for a better and more resilient future. ‘Decode with Prudence’ will kick-off the series by targetting two key topics around the climate crisis – heat and air pollution.

Diana Guzman, chief sustainability officer at Prudential and chair of the Prudence Foundation said, “Prudence Foundation is committed to building climate and health resilience, working with our partners to implement programmes that protect communities from the impacts of climate change. We’re pleased to collaborate with Warner Bros. Discovery and leverage on their ability to reach millions of households in Asia.”

She added, “With Decode, we’re highlighting the importance of the individual and collective human action to address the climate crisis. We want to inspire people to action, using what they learned from the programme to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.”

Meanwhile, Tony Qiu, GM for Greater China & Southeast Asia at Warner Bros. Discovery, commented, “WBD has a long history with environmentally focused storytelling, with stories that educate our audiences and inspire action. We are pleased to partner with the Prudence Foundation on this initiative to help drive increased awareness of key topics affecting our society.”

The content series is available on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Southeast Asia and Taiwan TV channels and social media platforms, including Discovery Channel Southeast Asia, Discovery Channel Taiwan, TLC Southeast Asia, TLC Taiwan, and Discovery Channel Southeast Asia Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

For this content series, global NGO Climate Resilience for All has come on board as a content partner for the topic of heat, to ensure accuracy of information related to the topic.

Kathy Baughman McLeod, CEO at Climate Resilience for All said, “One of the best ways to protect health and livelihoods from the impacts of heat is to build awareness, and campaigns like this are a great example of action communities everywhere can take.”

Singapore – PUB, Singapore’s national water agency and VML Singapore has recently launched their latest campaign, encouraging Singaporeans to conserve more water.

Based on the idea that every act can make a difference, the refreshed campaign tagline, “Save water. Big ways, small ways. All OK!”,  aims to spur people across the nation to play their part in building a sustainable water future for Singapore.

Launched in conjunction with PUB’s annual Singapore World Water Day Celebrations in March, this year’s campaign recognises how Singaporeans incorporate good water habits into their daily lives.

From simple actions like turning off the tap whilst brushing your teeth, to recycling and reusing rice water, or making a more conscious effort to purchase water-efficient products, the campaign highlights that each action, no matter how big or small, matters.

Talking about the campaign, Nimesh Desai, CEO, VML Singapore, said, “Water conservation shouldn’t be a chore, but something we are proud to do. The campaign aims to celebrate all of the efforts people are already making, encouraging them to keep up the good work in big and small ways, whilst giving them useful pointers on what they can do to start.”

Sydney, Australia – Ethical investment firm Australian Ethical has launched its latest campaign through film and OOH displays, encouraging Australians to invest in bringing positive change to help save the planet.

Made in collaboration with Paper Moose, Australian Ethical’s campaign showcases awe-inspiring footage sourced from a variety of nature photographers, championing nature’s beauty and life that is worth saving. 

The campaign also amplifies the company’s commitment to influence change on a corporate level, helping to invite more Australians who want their investments to support decarbonisation, emissions reductions and social good.

Talking about the campaign, Maria Loyez, chief customer officer at Australian Ethical, said, “We love the natural beauty and the sense of a community movement in this vibrant campaign. We want all Australians to know that ethical investing has the power to grow your money and influence change, and the more people that switch to ethical options, the bigger difference they could potentially make.”

Meanwhile, Brad Bennett, head of client success at Paper Moose, commented, “Investing with Australian Ethical allows each of us to harness the power of money to deliver both returns and positive change for people, planet and animals which is pretty rad.”

Singapore – Mandai Wildlife Group has announced its recent venture into fashion by announcing ‘Good Threads,’ an apparel capsule collection made from sustainably sourced materials, to make it easy and convenient for its wearer to make eco-friendly choices a daily habit.

The collection was developed over six months and produced in collaboration with Hakim Samat, a local craftsman known for his stylish, upcycled creations. It was crafted from 1,158 pieces of pre-loved clothing and salvaged materials weighing approximately 108kg from local thrift shops – honsieponsie, Function Five Thrift Shop and Woofie’s Warehouse, and from a textile collection drive initiated by social networks of friends and co-workers. 

Moreover, each garment was stitched together with fastenings and hardware such as buttons and carabiner hooks sourced from Plastify, a Singapore-born startup that has made recycled plastic waste its business.

The apparel collection is an extension of Mandai Wildlife Group’s ‘Choose Good with Mandai’ campaign to raise awareness about how people can collectively protect nature and wildlife by making conscious choices daily.

Suzanne Ho, senior vice president of brand and communications at Mandai Wildlife Group, said, “In the hustle and bustle of daily life, mindful actions like recycling and using fewer single-use plastics may inadvertently take a backseat sometimes, despite our best intentions. Good Threads sows the idea that daily consumption habits which are thoughtful of the planet can be effortless, and in this instance, even fashionable. Through personal choices, each of us can reap a more sustainable lifestyle. Manifest and multiply a personal mantra such as this, and we can fashion change together.”

She added, “Fashion is much loved by many. More than a style preference, it’s a personal statement and an identity. It can therefore wield power to influence how we think about clothing and perhaps reconsider the need to consume wave after wave of clothes and fashion accessories.”

‘Good Threads’ will fully debut in three phases. The first launch went public on February 15, followed by subsequent releases on 8 March and 28 March 2024. All items will be available exclusively for sale on goodthreadsbymandai.sg. All proceeds from the sale of Good Threads will go towards supporting wildlife conservation efforts in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Singapore – Global home and personal care company Colgate-Palmolive, along with global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R, are making efforts to raise sustainability in Southeast Asia thanks to a series of campaigns on Shopee.

Running from the end of October to early November 2023 across Southeast Asia and Taiwan, the campaigns saw Colgate offering shoppers highly attractive discounts on its range of recyclable and sustainable oral, personal and home products.

This campaign initiative is also a part of the brand’s overarching Smiling Planet campaign, wherein VMLY&R worked closely with the brand to create several regional campaigns that would help consumers make a difference by choosing Colgate Palmolive’s products.

As an added incentive for conscientious shoppers, the brand also donated a portion of each sale to the WWF-Singapore (World Wide Fund for Nature) Singapore Eco-Schools Programme, which empowers students to become changemakers, by engaging them in student-led sustainability initiatives within campuses.

With Colgate’s commitment of eliminating plastic waste by 2025, more than 83% of the brand’s packaging by weight is now recyclable due to innovations like its recyclable toothpaste tube. Similarly, many other Colgate products are now made from recycled materials, using much less plastic than traditional packaging.

Talking about the campaign, Alex Tan, commerce director at VMLY&R Singapore, said, “We know that consumers care about their environment, but often feel helpless to make an impact. Through Colgate’s Shopee Super Brand Day campaign consumers were empowered to make a sustainable choice whilst contributing to creating a greener future by supporting WWF’s important youth programme, and the results for Colgate speak for themselves.”

Meanwhile, M. Chandrasekar, SVP customer development, Colgate-Palmolive APAC, commented, “Change always begins with a small act. Our small act was to make recyclable tubes a reality and a small act for consumers could be discarding recycling tubes and sustainable packaging in the right spaces or bins in accordance with the local regulations.” 

“Working with VMLY&R we are able to make these small acts slightly bigger. Just by taking the small act of choosing to purchase Colgate-Palmolive sustainable products, consumers know that a portion of their purchase goes towards important educational projects that impact their environment and their future, showing that together, even small acts like this can make a big difference,” he added.

Singapore – Multi-category classifieds and recommerce marketplace Carousell Group has launched its ‘Circular Economy Impact Report’ that showed how secondhand transactions have made a positive climate impact in greater Southeast Asia.

The data from the report revealed that the user community of the platform has avoided a total of 116,577 metric tonnes of carbon emissions in four goods categories in 2022, including fashion and luxury, electronics, furniture and home living, and hobbies and toys. The staggering number is equivalent to 5.3 million trees absorbing CO2 per year.

Furthermore, it also showed that more than half, or 56%, of purchases made in the Carousell marketplace displaced the purchase of a new item. On average, 55% of surveyed users across Carousell’s six key markets have reported an increase in buying and selling of second-hand items in 2022 as compared to 2021.

Carousell has also partnered with European climate tech company Vaayu in quantifying their impact, leveraging its proprietary AI and machine learning (ML) technology, and utilising its Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) database of over 600,00 product data points to come up with the report.

Quantifying the avoided carbon emissions, the report reinforces the fact that the act of buying and selling pre-owned or used items is a better choice for the planet as compared to traditional retail, which involves purchasing new items. It also underscores the significance of every individual transaction in contributing to the overall impact of the circular economy.

Gaurav Bhasin, chief strategy officer at Carousell Group, said, “By facilitating secondhand transactions, Carousell Group holds a central role in advancing the circular economy alongside our users in the Greater Southeast Asia region. As a key enabler of the circular economy in our region, we have a responsibility to lead by example and measure the potential positive impact of choosing secondhand products over new ones in a trustworthy and transparent way.”

He added, “In addition to the avoided emissions calculations, we have also taken the opportunity to calculate our group’s carbon footprint. The robustness of our chosen methodology underscores our strong commitment to sustainability, and it forms the bedrock of our sustainability endeavours.”

Also commenting on the result, Quek Siu Rui, co-founder and chief executive officer at Carousell Group, said, “Our mission is to make secondhand the first choice for everyone. We have stayed true to this mission over the past 11 years, and we remain committed to making selling and buying secondhand even simpler, more trusted, and convenient. With the release of the report, we hope more people realise how easy it is to embrace secondhand as a lifestyle and contribute to a greener world without compromising on the things they enjoy.”

Meanwhile, Namrata Sandhu, co-founder and CEO at Vaayu, shared, “Retail is responsible for 25% of global carbon emissions, and with research continuing to show we’re not on track to keep global warming below 1.5C, we’re at a critical inflection point. Circular business models, like recommerce, offer a clear path to reducing retail’s impact on our planet, which is why we are so proud to partner with Carousell Group to quantify its climate impact and empower communications with its users.”

Singapore – The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and Singapore Food Agency (SFA) have forged a partnership with Publicis Media’s Starcom Singapore and Publicis Play to launch ‘SG Farm Tycoon’ on Roblox.

Launched on Roblox, SG Farm Tycoon is an immersive and educational high-tech farming game that is designed to raise awareness about the issue of food security among young Singaporeans. It offers an entertaining twist on urban farming by allowing players to create high-tech vertical farms within a virtual Singapore on Roblox.

The game also encourages collaborative play and introduces different scenarios that pose challenges, such as disease outbreaks, climate change, and supply chain disruptions. Players can then leverage advanced farming technologies on their urban farms to overcome these challenges, thereby enhancing farm productivity, building resilience against climate impacts, and improving resource efficiency.

By employing a progressive learning model, players experience the thrill of digital gaming with educational elements, making them experience what goes into growing local produce and educating them about the challenges of farming to reinforce Singapore’s ‘30 by 30’ vision.

Additionally, the game also features SFA’s local produce mascots, such as ‘Caixinderella’, ‘Eggs Benedette C’, and ‘Seabasstian Water’, to bring a familiar and engaging touch to the gaming experience.

Starcom Singapore leveraged its strategic expertise to guide and align the awareness and engagement goals of MCI and SFA. Publicis Play, on the other hand, utilised their specialty in gaming communication platforms to conduct focused workshops aimed at developing a tailored strategy.

After a series of processes, the companies and organisations involved eventually selected Roblox’s tycoon game format as the ideal medium for SFA’s educational objectives.

By going beyond conventional educational methods, SG Farm Tycoon aims to offer an immersive learning experience that will reflect real agricultural innovations and modern farming technologies, offering young minds a deeper understanding of the role of ‘Growing Local’ in Singapore.

Since its release, the game has now amassed over 3,600 game sessions and more than 1,200 unique users. It also enjoys a 91% like ratio, which indicates a high level of player satisfaction and engagement.

Elaine Poh, managing director at Publicis Media Singapore, said, “Partnering with the Ministry of Communications and Information and Singapore Food Agency on SG Farm Tycoon marks a significant shift in our approach to advertising and communication.”

She added, “This project symbolises a new era in communication, where interactive and immersive experiences can create a two-way dialogue with the audience. It is a step forward in connecting, engaging, and educating, reflecting our evolution beyond conventional engagement methods.”