Marketing & Communications

Meet ‘Zuzu,’ on a Hero’s Journey to Improve Plastics Recycling

New advocacy campaign from SC Johnson features an intrepid hermit crab, calls for collective action and urges greater business responsibility in reining in plastic pollution.

Published 1 month ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: SC Johnson

By every measure, plastic pollution is reaching crisis levels. Each year, an estimated 14 million tons of plastic enter our oceans — threatening marine, human and planetary health. While many US households say they diligently sort and recycle their plastic, only 9 percent of this material actually makes it into the recycling stream rather than our environment.

On Monday, SC Johnson — together with its long-time advocacy and impact partners Conservation International, EarthEcho International and Plastic Bank — launched an advocacy campaign aimed at rallying broader public awareness and support for collective action, including greater business responsibility, to reduce plastic waste.

At the heart of the campaign is Zuzu, an adventurous and courageous hermit crab who undertakes a perilous journey across the world to recycle a bottle left behind by a clean-up crew on his beach.

The campaign is supported by a variety of sustainability-minded famous faces, including actors Orlando Bloom, Nina Dobrev, Dylan Efron, Jared Leto and more.

“Ocean conservation has always been close to my heart, and the reality is that our planet can’t wait,” Dobrev says. “Every piece of plastic we keep out of the ocean makes a difference, but we need businesses to step up and do more. That’s why I’m so excited to join forces with Zuzu to spark real change. Let’s turn awareness into action and make recycling actually work.”

SC Johnson has also launched a new hub at BlueParadox.com — a hub that examines the paradox of the plastic problem with the usefulness of the material.

Survey: Consumers demand better recycling solutions

A recent Oceana survey found overwhelming concern among US consumers about plastic waste in the environment — but a new SC Johnson survey highlighted the lack of agency many feel in helping to address it: The company’s recent poll of more than 3,000 US adults revealed:

While awareness of the problem is high — with 83 percent concerned about the scale of the issue — only 28 percent feel they have a strong understanding of how they can help.
Only 2 in 5 people say they strongly believe their recycling efforts make a difference. When asked about who should solve the problem, 86 percent agree that businesses should take more responsibility for plastic waste.

The strong level of public opinion for the idea that businesses should take more responsibility for plastic waste shows that people expect corporate leadership around sustainability. Given the size of the problem, collective action is needed with a focus on pragmatic, practical solutions that can be implemented with the least disruption to the economy and consumers.

Solutions

Businesses and lawmakers have yet to come to consensus amongst themselves, or each other, as to the most effective approach(es) and innovations for reining in plastic pollution; but most proposed strategies hinge on effective creation of a circular economy — where plastic is reused, recycled or composted; and kept within the flow of materials for as long as possible, instead of becoming waste.

One aspect of that will be Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) — a policy framework designed to make plastic producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products, especially when it comes to packaging disposal and recycling. This approach has proven effective in other markets including Canada: According to a study from The Recycling Partnership, British Columbia achieved over a 75 percent recycling rate for packaging materials after implementing EPR. That same study found that if EPR was implemented in the US, residential recycling rates could increase by as much as 48 percentage points.

EPR laws are now in place in five US states — California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota and Oregon — with Washington State on deck. But for EPR to have the necessary impact will require a radical upgrade of our nation’s recycling infrastructure, along with increased capability for recovering problematic small-format plastics and films, systems for effectively removing plastic waste from waterways, and more.

Zuzu’s journey

Zuzu made his first splash during a cameo appearance on the red carpet at Sunday’s Oscars. Over the next few months, the intrepid crab will appear as part of relevant moments — including World Recycling Day on March 18 — and work with partners to inspire change and turn frustration into solutions.

The public is invited to engage with Zuzu’s journey, learn practical tips on reducing plastic waste at home and sign the petition for stronger legislation on plastic waste on joinzuzu.com.