McCann Melbourne: The surf wax shaped like Trump that can save our oceans

Clean Ocean Foundation Australia and McCann Melbourne have launched SmartWax; an open-source surf wax formula that reverses the damage climate change has caused to our oceans.

Carbon emissions make the world’s oceans more acidic. The acids are killing reefs and putting marine lives at risk. About 25% of CO2 emissions are absorbed by the oceans, increasing acidification1 and putting a whole host of marine organisms at risk. According to UNESCO, if we don’t act by 2100, more than 50% of the world’s marine life will be extinct.

Clean Ocean Foundation Australia has found a way to reverse the ocean’s acidity. It has developed a surf wax containing limestone crystals, which transforms harmful acids into water. The key to making a noticeable change is to micro-dose the ocean gradually over time to avoid throwing off its natural balance. This makes surfers the perfect group to administer the solution. With over 35 million active surfers worldwide, the effectiveness of these micro-doses increases significantly. Potentially, the new wax could convert 112 million litres of acidic sea water per day.

So Clean Ocean Foundation Australia made its surf wax an open-source formulation and is wants brands to adopt the formula.

This gave McCann Melbourne an idea. Samples were shaped like the great climate change deniers, such as Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, and sent to key wax producers to encourage them to apply the formula. the message was not to be like the biggest climate change deniers who refuse to act.

John Gemmill, chemical engineer, health professional and chief executive officer of Clean Ocean Foundation, stated, “We can no longer afford to sit by and watch our oceans turn to acid and marine environments turn into a wasteland. SmartWax shows that we can all shape a better future for our ocean if we stick to it.”

Geogina Pownall, managing director, McCann Melbourne, added, “SmartWax takes sustainability to another level as it not only environmentally safe but actually solves a real big problem. We couldn’t be prouder of this project.”

Guilherme Machado and Alex Newman, senior creatives at McCann Melbourne, commented, “One of the biggest challenges when fighting climate change is altering people’s behaviour. In this case, we’re not asking people to change what they’re doing, we’re using their passions to our advantage.”

Clean Ocean Foundation is currently talking to wax brands such as Bells Wax, EcoWax, FriendlyWax and Xaw about adopting the formula. Find out more here.