The problem

In 2011, the Circular Economy was a relatively unheard of concept. The Ellen Macarthur Foundation wanted to change that.

Illustration of Earth with various buildings, factories, trees, and vehicles around the equator, depicting urbanization and environmental impacts.

The brief

Repurpose pages and pages of dry research material into an eye-catching and memorable “show opener” for a conference on sustainability.

A cartoon character with a drill for a head looks at a display of a crab on an x-ray screen.

The strategy

While there was initial skepticism that the information could be distilled into anything shorter than a 20 minute video, I was sure that, working with the right animator, it could be done in less than five.

I was working at Dare at the time and was lucky to have access to some very talented designers.

The creative

Animated washing machine, dryer, and refrigerator with arms and legs, dancing outside on grass with trees and clouds in the background.
Cartoon illustration of two carrot-shaped containers with the word 'CARROT' and an image of a carrot with leaves on the label, set against a colorful sunset background with trees and clouds.

The results

To date the film - which was just 3.48 minutes long - has been watched over 1.7 million times. Perhaps more extraordinary is the message is as fresh and relevant today as it was when the film was created - back in 2011.