Cleaner Seas Group
The Process
What
To raise the profile of start-up greentech business Cleaner Seas Group, and to boost sales of its Indi microfibre filter
How
Media Relations
Where
Regional, national, international and trade media
When
November 2024
The Challenge
Our challenge was to raise the profile of start-up greentech business Cleaner Seas Group, and to boost sales of its Indi microfibre filter, which captures 90% of microfibres released from domestic washing machines, preventing them from entering our waterways and seas.
Our Solution
With only a limited budget to work with, we identified an opportunity to turn a landmark award win into a major news hook that would gain local, national and international coverage, including broadcast interviews.
Recognising the importance of appealing to the heart as well as the mind, we focused on the fact that the washing machine microfibre filtering device had been invented by a group of British surfers and seafarers from Cornwall, who were worried about the impact of microplastics on our oceans. And, to bring popular appeal, we leveraged the fact that Coldplay had used the Indi filters on their low carbon Spheres Tour.
Using this powerful endorsement as part of the story, we announced that the small British business had beaten 200 companies from across the globe to win the Ocean Impact Pitchfest Awards in Australia. This recognised Indi’s transformative potential to reduce ocean microplastic pollution on a vast scale, with the added benefit of delivering a closed-loop solution which meant that all captured microfibre from their filters would be harvested for reuse in everything from packaging to construction materials.
Vitally, we placed emphasis on the startling figures that 14m tonnes of microplastics are floating in our oceans, 35% of which originates from synthetic textiles, and that every single washing cycle produces up to 700,000 microfibres that enter our waterways. We also calculated the saving that fitting the filter to every washing machine in the UK would make – preventing the weight of two humpback whales’ worth of microfibres every year. And, to maximise credibility, we worked with marine biologist, writer and broadcaster Monty Halls to highlight the damage that microfibres are doing to our rivers and seas, marine species, and even human health. This credible third-party endorsement, which included Monty’s participation in interviews, helped to hit home the issues at hand, and the part that we can all play with one simple act: fitting a ‘plug and play’ microfibre filter to our washing machines.
What We Achieved
Over 70 pieces of coverage internationally, including pieces on BBC Spotlight, AOL, ITV Westcountry, YahooNews, BBC News Online, Fox, BBC Radio Devon, BBC Radio Cornwall, Rewind Radio, and Business Live. This generated over 198m opportunities to see, which in turn increased sales over the campaign by 567%, and orders by 522%.
