M&C Saatchi Australia’s The Plastic Forecast for Minderoo Foundation has won The One Show’s Green Pencil in New York, that recognises work that has made a measurable environmental impact.
Plastic production is set to triple by 2050. A forecast that must change. Now, plastic is being found in one of the last things many of us deem pure. Rain. To show the weight of the accelerating plastic production problem and call for an end to new fossil-fuel plastics, The Plastic Forecast was created.
The Plastic Forecast launched in Paris for the UN’s plastic talks and hijacked major French news networks, allowing them to include the first ever plastic weather metric in their daily weather reports, throughout the entire week.
The new forecast was debuted at the ChangeNow climate summit in Paris, by the French Minister for Ecology, and was supported with weather-activated outdoor activities around Paris, and digital placements on France’s biggest weather websites.
Emma Robbins, executive creative director, M&C Saatchi, commented, “We are beyond proud of a forecast that can change the amount of plastic produced in the world by changing the way the world sees weather. From the scientists who helped make the data sing, to the clients who believed in it, to the agency legends who never let it go, to the public who rallied UNESCO members because of it. We love that The Plastic Forecast has been honoured with such a prestigious award. We love even more that it’s making a difference.”
With more than 2350 media mentions, The Plastic Forecast reached more than 1.3 billion people in less than two weeks. Global publications such as Huffpost labelled the world-first weather report “a timely initiative”, and on World Environment Day, the UN itself co-signed the idea.
In Paris, the world’s first plastic treaty was drafted. Thirty countries are making a new commitment to reduce their production. A strong outcome, as treaty discussions continue towards the end of 2024.
The Plastic Forecast was adapted to run in Ottawa for the INC-4 negotiations, with all eyes on INC-5 in South Korea, late November.
The One Show’s Green Pencil has previously been awarded to world-class ideas such as AMV BBDO’s The Trash Isles in 2018, NORD DDB’s Vehicle of Change in 2023, and Saatchi and Saatchi’s #TURNTOCOLD in 2022.
