Volvo re-thinks ocean sustainability with launch of the Living Seawall via whiteGREY Sydney
Luxury car brand, Volvo Car Australia (VCA) has launched its latest innovative sustainability project, Living Seawall, created in collaboration with whiteGREY, Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences (SIMs), and Reef Design Lab.
VCA joined the United Nations’ World Environment Day initiative, this year’s theme is beating plastic pollution. The Living Seawall uses uniquely designed tiles made from concrete reinforced with 100% recycled plastic fibres to mimic the root structure of mangrove trees that were once prolific along Sydney Harbour. The plastic fibres are embedded within the concrete in such a way that they cannot disperse into the environment.
Says Chad Mackenzie, national executive creative director, whiteGREY: “Sustainability and innovation are at the core of Volvo’s brand philosophy and the Living Seawall reinforces Volvo’s commitment to tackling ocean plastic pollution.”
Says Mackenzie: “Solving the problem of plastic requires a truly innovative approach to creativity. In collaboration with SIMS and Reef Design Lab we came up with the idea of using concrete reinforced with recycled plastic to create seawall tiles that mimic the design of native mangroves. When attached to existing seawalls, these tiles promote biodiversity and that helps to improve water quality.
“It’s the first time this material has been used for this purpose and it’s a very exciting project that we hope will be adopted globally.”
Says Nick Connor, managing director, Volvo Car Australia: “There’s a Swedish word, omtanke, that means ‘caring’ and ‘consideration’. But it also means ‘to think again.’ I think that really captures what we’re trying to achieve with the Living Seawall, and it sums up Volvo’s approach to sustainability in general. We’re always trying to rethink, reinvent, redesign for the better.
“We are excited about what this campaign may mean for ocean sustainability in the long term.”
whiteGREY’s remit included strategy, creative, product design (in collaboration with SIMS and Reef Design Lab); digital and social.
The Living Seawall was unveiled by Volvo at a beach clean event in Rose Bay on World Environment Day. The complete Living Seawall, featuring 50 tiles measuring 50cm x 50cm, will be built over the next few months and installed at a location in Sydney Harbour creating one of the world’s largest living seawalls.
Organisms will colonise the Living Seawall within months of installation, helping to improve the richness and the diversity of seawalls. These organisms filter harsh pollutants, particles and heavy metals from the water, helping to keep the Harbour and ocean around Living Seawall clean.
Volvo Car Australia
Nick Connor, Managing Director
Stephen Connor, Director, Sales and Marketing
Julie Hutchinson, Senior Manager, Marketing
Chelsea Thompson, Events and Sponsorships Supervisor
Greg Bosnich, Director, PR and Corporate
whiteGREY
Chad Mackenzie, National Executive Creative Director
Ronojoy Ghosh, Creative Director
Whitney Moothoo, Art Director
Grace O’Brien, Copywriter
Matt Simms, Senior Experience Strategist
Justine Leong, Group Account Director
Kenneth McLeod, Senior Account Director
Alex Sunier, Senior Account Manager
Dominique Tait, Social Media Manager
Jeremy Frouin, Digital Art Director
Alex Botterill, Digital Producer
whiteGREY Productions
Terry Kerr, Head of Production
Lisa Macfarlane, Producer
Mark Brightwell, Cinematographer and Editor
Jess Tilbrook, Designer
PPR – Media outreach
Maverick – Event activation
30 Comments
Love this combo of two talented young creative chicks. Good to see Whitney and Grace making something cool here.
Yeah cause its important to have sea walls in the ocean. Another Grey scam spesh, except this one isn’t going to pick up nuffink.
Pretty loose connection. Why aren’t Volvo making car related ideas? It’s like McDonald’s making a lawnmower or Coke making a storage facility.
What has this got to do with cars? Why wouldn’t Volvo engineer something that helps offset the environmental issues caused by the automotive industry? Maybe the scam department just put the wrong logo on this one… Are you sure it wasn’t meant to be for a tuna brand?
They’re doing quite a lot actually:
https://www.volvocars.com/au/about/australia/i-roll-enewsletter/2018/may/global-beach-clean-up-tackles-ocean-plastic-pollution
https://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/sustainability/legacy.html
Like it, obviously very different from everything else in auto. Imagine trying to highlight Volvo’s approach to sustainability. Sell the brand now, sell cards later.
…for an auto brand to create. Type of people who’d buy a Volvo will probably love this.
It ain’t.
so a brand that pollutes the air cleans the water. FFS!
Beautiful design – Tick
Good for the planet – Tick
Any association with our brand or what we make for a living – No Tick.
This is exactly what’s wrong with the industry at the moment.
See a cause, attach our brand to it. Can’t see a cause? Create a cause, attach our brand to it. It’s become so transparent. And thankfully juries see right through it too.
What does this have to do with to ‘chicks’ coming up with an idea?? It has no female insight so you’re just playing the female card for no reason. Also it belittles their efforts. Retire from the industry please.
Nice thinking. Nice idea. Looks great. Does some good in the world. And Volvo has values and initiatives that makes it reasonably authentic.
@Scandi-cool … nice try.
For a global car manufacturer to produce just 50 tiles and stick them on the wall somewhere in Sydney harbour and claim PR or anything out of this is just wrong in so many ways.
Why not?
Looks very cool.
And why is it wrong to produce 50 tiles and stick it in the harbour? Every small step towards cleaning our oceans makes a difference. And what if this becomes a global initiative?
Sick of this industry shitting on everyone’s efforts.
COME ON guys!… STOP THE SCAM!
no you dingus ma lingus
No.
Work needs relevance. That’s advertising 101.
Relevance makes your message sticky.
Without it, the work is pointless.
haven’t we moved on from doing this sort of unrelated rent-a-cause nonsense?
You made 50 tiles and stuck then on a wall.
Your creativity knows no bounds.
I actually really like this idea, sure the relevance is a bit iffy (at least you could argue Life Paint was linked to Volvo’s safety credentials) but regardless, it’s a cool concept.
An idea that’s different that will actually get made for a paying client. Nice work!
Real work, for a real client. And it is trying to solve a real problem. Good on everyone involved. Don’t listen to all the naysayers, they just want to ‘craft’ print ads.
any number of clients can be bolted on the end of this average idea and probably have been at some point or another. Love to have seen the original client brief if that also not lost at sea. regardless,come awards time this work will be sleeping with the fishes.
It’s a long way to go to farm a few oysters.
You just need some wooden pegs and spores to do that – ask any oyster farmer.
If you were replacing a shark net with this then awesome, but sadly, no.
So anybody who thinks this idea is irrelevant scam would rather ‘craft’ print ads.
Brilliant logic. Well done. Me thinks
I spots us white grey employee.
A major component of concrete is cement, which has its own environmental and social impacts and contributes largely to those of concrete. The cement industry is one of the primary producers of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Concrete causes damage to the most fertile layer of the earth, the topsoil.
To all the whiners and complainers – would you prefer Volvo/whitegrey did nothing?
Would you prefer that they did something that got limited to no attention and then no media and therefore no talking points?
Would prefer they do 100/150/200 tiles instead of 50?
Why not just think before you speak and maybe imagine the idea that even though this program is not directly related to a car in the tangible sense it along with numerous other related initiatives worldwide as a collective bring us that little bit closer to slowing down the fucking huge swaths of destruction we assault the planet with daily.
jeeez guys how dumb r u?! not volvo, but the comments!
who ares if it isnt related to cars, they are helping because they care about the environment you morooooons