Our top 15 environmental campaigns of 2023
Patrick Mcandrew
Some of our most powerful and influential environmental campaigns were produced In 2023 delivering impact across the world.
Environmental campaigns are essential to driving a just transition to 1.5 degrees, and help progressive companies to truly maximise their impact through creative and powerful communications.
Every day we have the privilege to work with game-changers seeking to transform the world. In 2023 this meant creating and delivering over 130 campaigns, each one pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and receiving incredible feedback along the way.
From green finance reports and voluntary carbon market launches to amplifying cleantech startups and supporting landmark climate litigation cases. Each campaign ensured that key sectors and important players are given a voice.
Here are our top environmental campaigns of 2023:
- Calling for an end to destructive fishing in Marine Protected Areas
- Supporting 6 young people taking 32 governments to Court
- Holding UK water companies to account with mass ‘paddle-out’
- Highlighting nature protection in Europe
- Launching a game-changing global benchmark for carbon markets
- Lifting the lid on the financial impacts of climate change
- Building the movement for a 24/7 carbon-free energy future
- Facilitating integral dialogues on water with New York Water Week
- Giving nature a seat in the boardroom
- Protecting precious blue carbon ecosystems
- Building the profile of instrumental new ERW technology
- Highlighting the importance of the second-hand EV market
- Envisaging a new future for food at COP28 with ACF coalition
- Amplifying the voices of young people at COP28
- Fossil to Clean: Businesses call for a global phase-out of fossil fuels
1. Calling for an end to destructive fishing in Marine Protected Areas
With Oceana
Ocean biodiversity is under siege, with commercial trawling of seabeds tearing up the UK’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), killing precious marine life, and accelerating the climate crisis.
The #EndDestructiveFishing campaign focused on consumer data showing vigorous public support for ocean conservation, combined with a sand art stunt featuring Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with a fish in his mouth – affectionately termed ‘Fishy Rishi’ – helped the launch make a splash in the headlines.
Impact
- Features in The Guardian, The Independent and Euronews
- #EndDestructiveFishing hashtag brought the MPA conversation to socials, driving awareness of bottom trawling and its disastrous effects.
Want to demand more effective protection for our MPAs? Sign the petition.
2. Supporting 6 young people taking 32 governments to Court
With the Global Legal Action Network
Six Portuguese young people took 32 governments to the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that their human rights are being infringed by governments’ failure to act on the climate crisis – the biggest climate litigation case ever filed with them.
Our communications brought the case to the forefront of the world’s media, garnering widespread support and calling for a landmark judgment that could transform the lives of future generations.
Impact
- Over 40K individual pieces of coverage on the case
- Digital activity for the campaign generated over 500K impressions and 20K engagements – including support from Mark Ruffalo, Amnesty International, Fridays for Future, Luisa Neubaeuer and Tori Tsui.
- Though The Spectator couldn’t bring itself to get onside, it did concede that ‘The public relations accompanying this claim deserve full marks’.
Follow Youth4ClimateJustice on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram to stay up to date in preparation for the court’s ruling this year.
3. Holding UK water companies to account with mass ‘paddle-out’
With Surfers Against Sewage
2023 saw another year of tireless campaigning from Surfers Against Sewage. The jewel in the crown was a mass ‘paddle-out’ – held simultaneously at twelve beach and river locations across the UK – to protest the continued profiteering of water companies against the backdrop of thousands of pollution events. Protestors demanded an end to sewage pollution in bathing waters, and a 90% reduction in sewage discharges by 2030.
Impact
- Secured over 1.6K pieces of coverage across national and regional media
- Supported local organisers to conduct media outreach via training and a bespoke toolkit.
- Brighton protest featured as the Guardians’s headline photo of the day.
- Live interview from the sea with SAS Campaigns Manager Izzy Ross, who gamely answered BBC News’ questions while clinging to her wave-tossed surfboard.
Want to get involved in 2024’s paddle-out protests? Follow Surfers Against Sewage for updates.
4. Highlighting nature protection in Europe
With TNC Europe
Europe is facing extensive climate challenges, yet The Nature Conservancy (TNC) – a global NGO with major influence on the protection and restoration of nature -had low brand awareness and credibility in this region.
We developed a detailed thought-leadership strategy, taking advantage of this year’s major policy moments including the EU’s Nature Restoration and Deforestation Laws and the RePowerEU Plan, including pitches, comment pieces, and social media posts.
Impact
- Secured over 370K engagements across media and socials
- Appearances on CNBC and in The ENDS Report – helping TNC reach those much-sought-after target audiences
Learn more about The Nature Conservatory’s work in Europe.
5. Launching a game-changing global benchmark for carbon markets
With the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM)
The ICVCM took a monumental step in the world of carbon credits by launching Core Carbon Principles (CCPs), a global benchmark for high-integrity carbon credits. We supported both the media and digital activity during the launch.
Impact
- Secured 28 pieces of coverage – including Financial Times, Reuters, The Guardian, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, Carbon Pulse and POLITICO reaching 636M people globally.
- Secured over 32K impressions and over 2K engagements on social media, 0K unique website users and nearly 1K downloads of Core Carbon Principles resources delivering education and support to engage with the voluntary carbon market ethically and with integrity.
Visit the ICVCM website to find out more about their Core Carbon Principles (available in four languages).
6. Lifting the lid on the financial impacts of climate change
With Carbon Tracker
Carbon Tracker carries out analysis on the impact of the energy transition on capital markets, identifying risks and opportunities for investments into the low carbon future.
Their research found that millions of pensions are at risk due to trustees under-estimating the financial impacts of climate change. We provided messaging and media materials for the launch of this research.
Impact
- Widespread media coverage including the Financial Times and Forbes.
- The research is now being used in policy briefings and engagement with investors and governments to inform decision-making.
Read the Carbon Tracker’s press release about pensions to get the full story.
7. Building the movement for a 24/7 carbon-free energy future
With Sustainable Energy for All
COP28 saw a commitment across the world to ‘transition away from fossil fuels’ and to achieve a tripling of global renewable energy capacity by 2030.
SEforALL are at the forefront of this transition. We supported the launch of their 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact, raising awareness of the impact of carbon-free energy, and building support for transformation. The Transforming Power, People and Place campaign used key policy moments including the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and COP28, to drive engagement with the Compact and generate sign-ups from organisations and governments.
Impact
- Creative activations – including hero films, an interactive map tool, and targeted paid media – delivered over 50M impressions, 440K engagements and 40K website users.
- 41 new Signatories including the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Vanuatu and the United States Government.
Check out SEforALL’s interactive map tool to see a full visualisation of the signatories.
8. Facilitating integral dialogues on water with New York Water Week
In the build up to the UN 2023 Water Conference, the city of New York became the venue for thousands of creatives, businesses and water advocates to come together for New York Water Week.
Greenhouse supported across every aspect of the digital strategy and activation for New York Water Week, developing a unique visual branding for the campaign, plus a website, digital toolkit and a targeted paid advertising campaign to promote the weeks’ events.
Impact
- 65K total views from over 17.5K website users across 52 countries.
- 13K event views and 163 events submitted directly through the website from creatives, businesses and other stakeholders
- 692K impressions and over 10K engagements on socials in the lead-up to the event
9. Giving nature a seat in the boardroom
With Business for Nature
Business for Nature’s, Now for Nature campaign, was designed to rally businesses to set up nature strategies ahead of COP16 – the ‘biodiversity COP’ – which will take place in late-2024.
Greenhouse created a campaign identity and website, and launched the accompanying Nature Strategy Handbook through compelling visual assets and influencer engagement.
Impact
- 20 articles across the launch and during COP28, reaching approximately 210K people in the business sector.
- Articles in FT Sustainable Views, BNN Bloomberg, BusinessGreen, and Edie.
- Digital campaign generated over 5.4M impressions, and 28K social media engagements.
- Engagement from high-profile industry leaders, including Claire Lund, GSK, Tim Christophersen, Salesforce, Marie-Hélène Enrici, and IPBES.
- The Nature Strategy Handbook has been downloaded 5K times, and 9 business nature strategies have been submitted
10. Protecting precious blue carbon ecosystems
With the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Coastal ecosystems are critical. Not only do they encourage biodiversity, they are also major carbon sinks and provide services to nearby communities, including flood defence and water filtration. However, these blue carbon ecosystems – including mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes – are under threat from global heating and human activity.
Greenhouse worked with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to build an international policy framework that governments and international institutions can adopt to help safeguard and grow blue carbon ecosystems.
Impact
- The framework has been downloaded 283 times
Read the policy framework here and spread the word on what’s needed to protect these precious ecosystems.
11. Building the profile of instrumental new ERW technology
With UNDO Carbon
UNDO Carbon creates high-quality, permanent carbon removal credits from a nature-based process known as enhanced rock weathering (ERW). ERWs have the potential to provide up to 40% of the CO2 removal needed to keep temperature rise within 1.5°C. Greenhouse’s aim while working with UNDO has been to educate key audiences on the benefits of ERW, and establish UNDO as a leader in the space.
Impact
- Secured over 89 media articles for UNDO, with 3.6M views.
- Including features in BBC Countryfile, CNN Call to Earth, The Times, Reuters, and Greenbiz.
- Media coverage has established credibility with key audience groups, such as farmers, scientists and investors, driving crucial investment and partnerships.
Find out more about enhanced rock weathering and how it can have a positive impact on the planet.
12. Highlighting the importance of the second-hand EV market
With the Green Finance Institute
In a survey of over 2,000 drivers by the Green Finance Institute, almost three-quarters (73%) said they would buy a used EV, showing massive demand for the used market. However, more work needs to be done to improve confidence around battery health and affordability. To amplify these key findings, we led an integrated PR and digital campaign.
Impact
- Generated 30 pieces of coverage with over 150K estimated views, including articles in the Daily Express, City AM and BusinessGreen.
- 133 social media shares and 58 downloads of the report
Read the report ‘Used EV Market: The Key to Unlocking Net Zero’ here.
13. Envisaging a new future for food at COP28 with ACF coalition
With the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation
COP28 saw the launch of the Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation (ACF), a coalition consisting of five trailblazing countries – Brazil, Cambodia, Norway, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone – who are collaborating to deliver better food systems outcomes for people, nature and climate.
Greenhouse worked with the ACF to launch the coalition, leveraging the momentum around food during COP28. To ensure the coalition could capitalise on its moment, we developed impactful branding and a compelling website, and amplified key messaging in the media.
Impact
- 160 pieces of coverage with a combined reach of 183M
- 600K social media reach with 363 shares of #AllianceOfChampions
Read this comment piece from Julius Maada Bio, President of Sierra Leone, to learn more about why the ACF will be instrumental in transforming our global food systems for the future.
14. Amplifying the voices of young people at COP28
Following our partnership at COP27, Greenhouse supported the Children and Youth Pavillion at COP28 with a mission to amplify the perspectives and demands of children and youth across the globe.
Their space at COP provides children and young climate champions, professionals, and activists an opportunity to share experiences and ideas, as well as engage with decision-makers and influential stakeholders on the issues most important to them. With over 140 youth-led events, workshops, networking sessions and policy briefings, their work ensures young voices can’t be ignored. We were on the ground to assist with the organisation of interviews, digital content and films across the two weeks of COP28.
Impact:
- Secured 109K media articles on the Children and Youth Pavilion
- Over 138K social media impressions and 882 new followers
Check out the Children and Youth Pavilion website for a recap of everything that happened during the conference, including full recordings of each day’s activities.
15. Fossil to Clean: Businesses call for a global phase-out of fossil fuels
With the We Mean Business Coalition
The Fossil to Clean campaign is a global movement of businesses moving away from fossil fuels and towards clean solutions, sending a clear signal to energy suppliers, capital providers and governments to accelerate affordable, reliable and safe alternatives.
As part of We Mean Business’s Fossil to Clean initiative, the movement came to COP28 with a call for the phase-out of fossil fuels, the tripling of renewable capacity, and the doubling of energy efficiency. Greenhouse created the branding, messaging, film, and social media assets for the campaign, which launched at New York Climate Week in the lead-up to COP28.
Impact
- Social media campaign gained over 600K impressions and 5K clicks
- Over 200K views of the hero film.
Watch the film here.
Bonus! Driving investment in a revolutionary new material with CarbonScape
A global shortfall of graphite for lithium-ion batteries is expected to be close to 800,000 tonnes by 2030, posing a significant threat to the global transition to clean transport and energy systems.
Enter CarbonScape, who has developed a renewable alternative to the critical mineral graphite called ‘biographite’. This could disrupt the global graphite supply chain, which depends on mines or traditional synthetic production involving fossil fuels. Biographite is produced with by-products from the forestry industry which are then subject to thermo-catalytic graphitisation – meaning lower temperatures and a faster production time.
Greenhouse helped CarbonScape reach the right investors by spearheading their investment announcement and their digital comms.
Impact
- Reached over 529M people, generating 114 pieces of media coverage – including a 3-page spread in the Wall Street Journal
- Over 303K impressions through paid media ads, growing CarbonScape’s following by 26%.
- Since the campaign CarbonScape has had frequent inbound business inquiries from the likes of Tesla and BMW
Follow CarbonScape on socials to help drive their reach and be part of their journey.
What’s in store for 2024-25?
The climate crisis remains the single biggest issue we face as a global community, and communication is integral to relaying both the scale of the problem, and the increasing array of solutions at our fingertips.
At Greenhouse Communications we are ready for another year of impact, working with game-changers to push new innovations and lead transformation across the critical sectors – from energy, finance, food, transport, innovation, nature and oceans.
Interested in coming with us on the journey? If you’d like to speak to us about how we can amplify your climate work don’t hesitate to get in touch.
