Akepa

Sustainability is deceptive. There’s what we see and there’s what lurks beneath. Which is an irresistible opportunity to make an iceberg #infographic - especially with the link between sustainability and climate change. Here are just a few of the issues that sustainability can communicate, as well as the conspicuous reduction in CO2 emissions that many of us see. 🐋 Protecting biodiversity 🎓 Lowering educational barriers ⚖️ More social justice 🧋 Reducing plastic pollution Of course, these issues are intersectional. Take the level of CO2 in our atmosphere, which is linked to biodiversity loss. In turn, biodiversity is threatened by plastic pollution - and so on! Anyway, there’s more under the water. Dive in, rummage around, stay buoyant, and if you think anything is missing, let us know in the comments. There’s plenty more we could’ve included. And as a final flogging of the metaphor, let’s hope this iceberg stays afloat over the coming years. We’ll keep doing our little bit to help…

Today is the International Day of Gibbons! 🐒 At Akepa, we adore gibbons. They are: 🚅 The fastest of all tree dwelling, non-flying animals 🌴 Capable of swinging from branch to branch at speeds of up to 34mph 💞 One of the only primates that frequently forms long-term pair bonds 🌌 Actually a family of 20+ endangered species - with the 'skywalker hoolock gibbon' first discovered in 2017. That said, while we are very much positively predisposed towards these remarkable apes, the same can't be said for the multitude of international environmental days. There are just too many! It's so much that the meaning gets lost in the white noise... It sounds a bit ungenerous what we need is a more serious approach that makes a real impact. A concerted effort over time, more than a Day of focus. Not least when it's just been reported that biodiversity is declining more in protected areas than those that aren't! https://lnkd.in/eFq4Wimc So while we will celebrate major events that do have a history of impact, like Earth Day, and hope for the success of all, you won't find us posting about this endless parade of Days. Not because we don't care but because we do. Tomorrow is World Lemur Day. We also love Lemurs. But you won't be hearing from us about that, either.

Curious about the hidden environmental impact of your everyday items? Let's take a peek inside your cupboards together... What we're looking for are those items that aren't quite as eco-friendly as you might think. Would we find.... 🎋 Bamboo toothbrushes? 👜 Tote bags, in prolific amounts? 😎 Sunnies made from 'ocean plastic'? ☕️ Compostable coffee pods? 🌟 Eco-friendly glitter? Eric Sandstrom rounds up these products, and a few others that have a richer sustainability story behind them than you might think. ❗Remember: while this is all in the aid of making better choices (and a bit of fun), the idea of a 'carbon footprint' was a sneaky creation of Big Oil. If we want a healthier planet, we need system change and stricter regulations, way more than individual refinements. https://lnkd.in/dWZTkf8q

Greenwashing cases have fallen for the first time in six years 🎉 They've gone down by 12% globally, says an October study from EsgData and RepRisk. https://lnkd.in/dZ54ajrV Nevertheless, we're not out of the woods yet. Despite the overall drop, serious #greenwashing cases are on the rise. Another caveat is that the fall in greenwashing cases could be related to a rise in #greenhushing. This silence is caused by a global undercurrent of caution due to increased regulation. Still, there's something to celebrate here. The less greenwashing blah blah about the better 💬. That should leave some more space for a truer discource about #sustainability, which is complex. Here's a little more about all of those things in our blog: 🃏 What's greenwashing? https://lnkd.in/gcrwMRG 😶 What's greenhushing? https://lnkd.in/d5SnbPcM ⚖️ What's sustainability? https://lnkd.in/demF3SX2

Make a wish, for a less wasteful world 🎋? That’s the desire when #wishcycling but what gets granted is rubbish 👹. Wishcycling is about hopeful recycling. It's when stuff gets tossed into the recycling bin without knowing for sure if it can be recycled. While that act comes from a kind place, the result is worse than not recycling at all. Contaminated recycling often gets sent off to landfill in its entirety, including all the suitable stuff that's spoiled. It’s not what we need, in a world drowning in trash. Yet, more and more folk are making wishes, which is why the recycling contamination rate is as high as 1 in 4 items in many countries. Hope is important. But not in this case. Read more about wishcycling in our latest blog post and how to avoid it, including some items that are commonly wishcycled like shrinkwrap and shredded paper. https://lnkd.in/dSFNg4-i #recycling #zerowaste

Around 1 in 4 items that end up in our recycling bins can’t be recycled ♻️. This can occur when items are tossed in the wrong bins. Or an increasing issue is #wishcyling, where non-recyclables like single-use plastic are lobbed into bins out of sheer hope. It comes from a well-meaning place but erroneous recycling is impacting a world with a huge waste problem. The pioneers behind Intuitive AI are stepping in to help fix this, with their ingenious zero-waste AI platform that makes recycling simpler, rewarding, accurate, and fun. It even gamifies the chucking and generates revenue from it to create a virtuous circle of recycling wins - for people and organizations. The platform’s starting to make a global dent in the mountain of waste we create - being rolled out by the planet's biggest brands. Keen to see it in action? Then go to epic attractions like the San Francisco Exploratorium or London's Sky Garden. 💬Key quote: “By shifting waste management from a centralized burden to a shared responsibility, we’re not just fixing a problem—we’re changing the way we think as a society.” Read more about their zero-waste wizardry in the full #interview. #AIforgood #AIrecycling #interview

Generative AI is becoming a big opportunity - for those not relying on it 🤖. It’s true that generative AI can be a useful creative tool in the right hands but we’re seeing so much sloppy content written with AI. Like, a silly amount. If content is a form of storytelling, these stories sound familiar. But what’s the message? When you start to pay attention, my word, it’s the story of nothing at all. Marketing is about moving people. About making an impact. That needs effort, experience and an incisive perspective. Look at those folk taking time and care to craft stories that can cut through - is that where the real opportunity is? With so much slop around, it’s starting to look like it. None of our top content is created that way. With sustainability, which is existential, it helps to have a little life behind what we say. So if you’re focused on writing, designing, and creating great stories then don’t stop. In the short term you might be less in demand but from what we’re seeing that demand’s going to come back. Folk getting wise. Use a bit of generative AI, perhaps, but never rely on it. Blending into the background is no opportunity. Standing out, is. #contentmarketing #generativeai #sustainabilitymarketing

A smart intercontinental tunnel that lets you bike through the centre of the earth 🚲. There’s nothing quite as outlandish as that in our news roundup. And, frankly, September was a little bit of a slower news month, sustainability speaking. But there was still a fair amount of good shiz to report. To be exact: 🐢 Greece: Loggerhead sea turtles nest and survive in record numbers. ⛔ Netherlands: The Hague becomes the first city to ban hooky fossil fuel ads. 🐧 UK: The first motionless wind turbine is installed; less menacing to birds. 🪷 China: electricity is somehow generated from lotus leaves. 🛍️ USA: no more plastic bags in California from 2026. Take a trip through the full slideshow for the complete 10 stories. Ft. SweGreen, Helen, World Wildlife Fund, State of California - and more #sustainabilitynews #newsroundup

We’ve just updated our Periodic Table of Certifications with 7 eco labels 🦚. A warm welcome to: ISO 14001 Certification, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Upcycled Food Association, Green Globe Certification, Travelife for Accommodation and TCO Development. And we’ve also updated ‘Climate Neutral’ from The Change Climate Project, to reflect its imminent 2025 evolution to ‘The Climate Label’ . We’ll keep updating this table because the sustainability landscape is shifting at an enormous pace and so are its certifications to keep up. We’d like to make sure you’re not getting dizzy and tripping over. Read the full post below, where we’ve also gone into some of the fair criticisms of each - because while this table features some of the most popular insignias, that doesn’t always mean they’re paragons. https://lnkd.in/dPsJFpBQ If you feel there are silly omissions let us know. And remember: we read and reply to every single comment left on here by you lot. #sustainabilitycertifications #sustainabilityinfographic #ecolabels

What are the secret ingredients that make a marketing agency ‘sustainable’? Well here’s the thing: it’s not just about bike-to-work schemes, reusable water bottles, recycling bins, or free organic fruit. That’s basic seasoning. If you're encouraging folks to cycle to work while also helping to pump billions of cars full of petrol then the contradiction is hilarious. Or rather it would be hilarious if climate change wasn’t so deadly serious. Choosing to say NO to working with any kind of fossil fuel companies, is an essential for any agency sincere about sustainability. Yet, this basic ingredient gets conveniently skipped. Check out Clean Creatives' latest F-list. It reveals 500+ agencies working with fossil fuel clients. Many of them are pushing a shallow sustainability agenda to workers and clients at the same time. Concerningly, around 20 agencies are B Corp certified - adding a second coating of green onto a grimy backdrop. For the next version to be even more useful we’d love to see those #BCorp agencies singled out - and we’d also like to remind that there are other industries to avoid if you’re serious about sustainability too - such as fast fashion. Let’s make marketing better. https://lnkd.in/dXKbjrfq