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As we enter a crucial decade for the planet, Adidas reiterates its commitment to end plastic waste with an awesome outdoor media innovation that taps the potential and power of running to help end plastic waste in the oceans.
As part of adidas’ 'Run for The Oceans' global movement—and the brand largest sustainability initiative that engages runners globally in the fight against marine plastic pollution-- the brand further amplified its ongoing sustainability efforts by launching a one-of-a-kind interactive 3D billboard that showed Dubai residents their collaborative impact in real time illustrating the brands’ global ambition to mobilize a generation to help end plastic waste in the oceans and fight for the future of our oceans.
The mechanic of the joint initiative is that for every 10-minute run, adidas’ long standing partner Parley will clean up the equivalent weight of one plastic bottle from the oceans.
This fifth edition of Run for the Oceans introduced new activities to the challenge, making it the most inclusive Run for the Oceans yet.
From May 23 until June 8, Dubai residents were able to support the initiative by downloading the adidas Runtastic app and clocking in minutes from select activities including running, tennis and football. Participants could actively see and track the actions they took to make a positive impact on a 3D billboard in Downtown Dubai, specially designed to show a hyper-realistic ocean wave splashing onto a glass barrier and filled with hundreds of plastic bottles signifying ocean waste.
An innovative live timer on the billboard ilustrated the threat of plastic pollution in our oceans and showed the minutes tracked on the adidas running app, leading to plastic bottles disappearing from the wave; the more people ran, the cleaner the wave got. The more the city moves, the cleaner the water becomes. And every bottle that disappeared from the billboard led to the equivalent weight of plastic removed from the oceans in the real world.
Over the years the Run for The Oceans event has seen various running communities come together to raise awareness about the plastic problem, educating others about the state of beaches and inspiring action to help end plastic waste.
This is a sounding proof that through the power of sport, community, education and activism, we can turn the oceans cause into a truly global movement that transcends borders, engaging people of all ages and backgrounds through the strong and dedicated efforts of brands like adidas and events like Run for the Oceans.
Havas Middle East paired up with Bureau Beatrice to illustrate the premise of this campaign, translating it into an impactful, interactive installation at the heart of Dubai.
This campaign looks even more powerful as it comes at a critical time as the world is strengthening its efforts to mobilize, create and drive solutions to realize the 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
