Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Here are three campaigns deriving from the creative industries which have encouraged people to reduce their plastic consumption.

Eat Less Plastic

What if somebody told you that you eat around a credit-card sized amount of plastic each week? Yes, each week. You wouldn’t believe them, right? Shockingly, it’s true. Microplastics have been infiltrating our water and food sources for decades, meaning that the levels of plastic we are ingesting is at alarming levels. To visualise this nauseating fact, Lisbon and London studio How conceived the “Use Less Plastic, Eat Less Plastic” campaign. Studio creative director Cat How explains that the project was inspired by the “moods, majesty… and misery of our Oceans”, referencing the plastic-strewn beaches in Lisbon that highlight the severity of our toxic relationship with plastic. Pop art-inspired graphics depict vibrantly coloured credit cards overlaid with plastic bottles to highlight the serious health impact of the worsening climate crisis. Using a bold, arresting colour palette draws awareness around the issue, contrasting with the dark tone of the campaign’s underlying message. Certainly something to remember the next time you forget to recycle your plastic bottle.

Paper bottles are here to stay

Paper-based bottles have been around for a while, however we tend to associate them with cheap and cheerful products tapping into sustainability and eco trends. More recently global beer brewer Carlsberg announced the world's first paper based beer bottle, a product which looks just as eco as it sounds, with a ‘rough around the edges’ pulped brown paper look and feel. Equally as attuned to this trend and aiming to release the ‘world’s first paper based spirits bottle’ is multinational drinks company Diageo. Like Carlsberg’s efforts of last year, this Johnnie Walker bottle has been designed with a similar pulp but comes in a sleek black finish with an aluminium screw top. Uniquely this bottle uses a resin liner rather than non-recyclable plastic which is often found in aluminium cans (which aren’t recyclable). While it’s clear brands are rushing to become ‘the first’ we hope that this trend for pulp based bottles continues to grow and we see more zero plastics lining our shelves.

Let's live with less plastic

With the Coronavirus pandemic drastically shifting the immediacy of pressing environmental issues within the public eye, Creative Director & Environmental Advocate, Tia Grazette has announced a new art exhibition titled “Let’s Live With Less Plastic''. The Collection of work featuring over 16 artists looks to re-establish the importance in changing our plastic habits through pop culture laden landfills to bottle paintings that utilise polluted seawater as a medium. The new exhibit also coincides with the 10th anniversary of Grazette’s ‘The Plastiki Expedition’ project, which famously built a boat using recycled plastic to sail across the Pacific and raise awareness of plastic pollution within our oceans. A topic more relevant than ever, now that much of our life saving PPE is finding its way there.

Artists involved include; Sarah Maple, Todd Francis, Jeff Gillette, Dianna Cohen, Heath Kane, Iona Magnus, Luap, Paul Davis, i, Aaron Axelrod, I Fucking Hate London, Tia Grazette, Lois Winstone, Charlie Arsan and Illuminati Neon. The work is being displayed across the UK on large digital billboards in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle from 9th July for #plasticfreejuly and online at www.legoodsociety.com