Words by Smiley Team
Do you hoard mountains of plastic bags or get that guilty feeling when you buy coffee in a disposable cup? If so, you're not alone. A new initiative is calling on everyone to share these ‘Econfessions’ to encourage us to adopt more environmentally-sustainable habits.
Led by sustainable flask company Ocean Bottle, the campaign asks people to “come clean to clean our ocean”. For every confession shared on Instagram, TikTok or their website with the hashtag #econfession, they’ll stop 10 plastic bottles from entering our oceans.
If that’s not enough to convince you, TikTok stars will take the first blows to their reputations. Ehiz, Tega Alexander, and Maddy Lucy Dann among others will announce to millions of followers what they’ve been doing that’s not so environmentally-friendly, before encouraging others to do the same.
Already the terrible truths are rolling in, from the disgusting: “I 'accidentally' left my keep cup in the back of the office cupboard two years ago after I saw it had started to grow mould on the rim,” – to the downright ridiculous: “I have approximately 82 bags for life under my kitchen sink... and counting.”
[Read More: The vegan wine brand removing plastic from our oceans]
Some eco-confessions reveal how stubborn people can be, too: “I refuse to acknowledge that pizza boxes cannot be recycled.” While others reveal that even the most eco-conscious individuals have their guilty pleasures: “I'm vegan, but I still eat avocados even when it's mid-December and they've had more flights than I have in the last year!”
However nonsensical people are about their environmentalism, there's reason to the madness. The Econfessions campaign is part of Ocean Bottle’s broader mission to tackle the mounting plastic waste problem.
Each time a flask is sold, the company pays locals to collect 1,000 bottles worth of plastic waste from coastal areas. This helps collectors access healthcare, education, technology and microfinance.
“It is now estimated that ocean plastic will quadruple by 2040, and that over 75% of this will come from uncollected plastic waste,” said Ocean Bottle founder and Co-CEO Nick Doman.
“Plastic pollution is causing catastrophic effects not only on our ocean but also on local waterways and communities. This is why launching our first brand campaign Econfession is so necessary, to acknowledge our not-so eco-friendly habits as a first step to doing better, so everyone can be part of the solution.”
To get involved share your econfession on the Ocean Bottle website, Instagram or TikTok, with the hashtag #econfession.
