“Planet or Plastic”?

As the amount of plastic in the world’s oceans continues to grow, National Geographic is sounding the alarm and announcing a global commitment to help tackle this pressing problem.

Mccann New York is working with National Geographic to launch ‘Planet or Plastic?’, a multiyear initiative aimed at raising awareness of the global plastics crisis and reducing the amount of plastic in the world’s oceans. The words “Planet or Plastic?” is at the heart of the platform, summing up the idea that daily decisions have a huge impact.

The campaign aims to draw attention to the problems posed by our society’s use of plastics. The launch received massive media coverage and social media activation because of the stunning cover of the magazine’s June issue, which shows an iceberg floating in a beautiful ocean that, on closer inspection, is really a plastic bag. The campaign is a true 360-degree effort and includes: a pledge that individuals can take to stop their use of single-use plastics; new scientific and research campaigns by National Geographic dedicated to finding solutions to the nine million tons of plastic waste that ends up in the oceans every year; a social media campaign that includes “polluting” the Natgeo Instagram feed, Reddit activations and celebrity involvement; a partnership with Sky Ocean Ventures, a fund that will invest in ocean pollution solutions; corporate partnerships; and marketing and media campaigns.