Brand Strategist
Pangea is a Co-Op that fights marine plastic pollution.
The ocean cleanup organization installs trash barriers in the world’s most polluted rivers to collect plastic waste before reaching the ocean. To fund these barriers, Pangea sells sustainable products like bamboo towels, hydroflasks, and sunglasses made from recycled ocean plastic.
The Ask
Pangea wants to sell more products to scale their cleanup efforts. But they're a small grassroots movement. How can they build brand awareness?
How We Got Smart
1. We learned about nonprofit environmental advocacy groups.
2. We talked with environmentally
conscious shoppers.
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"Not everyone volunteers for beach cleanups, but people donate money if we provide transparency and show where their money is going."
- Staff at HQ in DC
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Most shoppers at Trader Joes, farmer's markets, REI, etc. don't read labels. They rely on stores to screen products' sustainability credentials, and they'll pay a premium to feel better about sourcing.
3. We talked to Pangea
employees.
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"Nature lovers know us in [SE Asia] because of our partnership with Sungai Watch, but now we [need awareness] in Europe and U.S.A."
-Head of Sales Mktg (via email)
Learnings
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Corporate greenwashing has made eco-conscious shoppers skeptical of sustainability claims.
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Info labels are unclear.
Many eco-conscious shoppers focus on consuming less (fuel, plastic, home energy), not consuming smarter. They thrift and shop local because it makes them feel good, but they don't see or understand the impact of their purchases.
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They buy from trusted badge brands like Patagonia known for sustainability.
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Nature lovers can't buy Pangea products if they don't know they exist.
Consumer Needs:
Trust
Information
Awareness
Approach
Give consumers confidence in their power of their Pangea purchases to combat ocean pollution and climate change.
Opportunity
Because of hazy marketing, there is an attitude-behavior gap between what eco-conscious people believe and how they purchase.
Campaign
BUY BACK OUR BEACHES
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Not everyone sees the trash in rivers, but 50% of Americans go to the beach every year.
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We can empower consumers by showing them the impact of their purchases.
Brand Acts:
PHASE 1
Awareness
Avoid confusion, decision fatigue by clearly quantifying impact.
Instead of saying "each pair of Mangrove sunglasses removes 2lbs of CO2 from the atmosphere," be specific and help the purchaser visualize their impact.
PHASE 2
Consideration
Earn brand trust by showing up at purchase touch points to drive smarter purchases.
Why would we encourage shopping with competitors? Because we're a Co-Op driven by ecological impact, not profit. Our only enemy is plastic in the ocean.
The Pangea "Blue Card" rewards shoppers for purchasing with Pangea partners.
PHASE 3
Advocacy
Earn trust by putting our money where our mouth is and being transparent about our supply chain.
Supply chains disconnect us from the sourcing of our purchases. But Pangea is a vertically integrated company, meaning they do everything in house: they collect the plastic, transform it at their plastic innovation center, and turn it into outdoor gear.
Plastic as currency: exchange rate:
Pangea plastic cleanup parties allow participants–who on average collect 40lbs of trash each–to exchange plastic they pickup from the beach for merchandise.
By tangibly communicating the impact of each purchase, Pangea can build credibility that our mission is to keep trash out of the ocean, not sell products. Plus: people are twice as likely to recommend an eco-friendly brands.
The climate crisis may seem hopeless: 28B pounds of trash enter our oceans every year. Governments and corporations don't do enough.
But Pangea can empower consumers to buy back our beaches.