The Estee Lauder Companies Launches Earth Month Campaign 2014

The Estee Lauder Companies has been involved in Earth Month Activities for several years now. Continuing in the same vein as 2013’s “Recycle : Start Small, Start Now” campaign, the company’s Earth Month 2014 Committee has chosen “REDUCE : Adopt Biodegradables.. Take Away Responsibly” as this year’s Earth Month theme.

This year’s campaign is a natural progression from last year’s theme. The emphasis this year is on reducing the public’s dependency on polystyrene-based packaging by teaching both consumers and food vendors alike to consciously choose the environmentally-friendly option – biodegradable containers – when packing food.

Biodegradable food containers are a great way to help the environment as it has the capacity to be broken down by microorganisms. While the choice to go ‘green’ when taking away our food and drink orders from our favourite restaurant is ours to make, we should keep in mind that we are living in a world that is faced with the challenging problem of global warming – a factor that plagues us increasingly. Indeed, we should come to the realisation that we cannot wait any longer to make the choice that is beneficial to Mother Nature.

The reason for this is obvious. Polystyrene is a petroleum-based plastic that has become an everyday product that is popular for packing food because it is lightweight and possesses good insulation to keep food cold or hot. However, research has shown that polystyrene-based items are a major environmental problem. Because it is non-biodegradable, landfills are filling up at a record rate and products made from polystyrene are one of the reasons for this. Indeed, polystyrene-based containers that are used for packing food and drink have the potential to affect the entire ecological system of the planet.

Because it appears to last forever and is lightweight, the latter making it ideal for floating in water, huge amounts of polystyrene products have accumulated along coasts and waterways around the world. It is now considered the main component of marine debris.

It is because of this that the Estee Lauder Companies Earth Month 2014 Committee has chosen this year’s message of “REDUCE: Adopt Biodegradables. Take away Responsibly”. The theme allows The Estee Lauder Companies to work in synergy with one of its strategic partners, Mid Valley Megamall. The message behind Mid Valley Megamall’s theme “Beautiful Ocean” will be highlighted throughout the course of the campaign, which will be held from 19 to 30 March 2014 at the South Court, Ground Floor of Mid Valley Megamall.

Held in conjunction with the shopping mall’s first term school holiday programme, booths will be set up by the campaign’s corporate partners to disseminate information about the fragility of our planet’s oceans. For its part, Mid Valley Megamall will work towards engaging shoppers in activities that create awareness on the importance of marine life, marine habitat and sustainable seafood.

Origins, a high-performing skincare brand that is marketed by the Estee Lauder Companies, will spearhead the campaign for the beauty powerhouse. Undoubtedly a brand with a conscience, Origins walks the talk, as demonstrated by its production methodology that includes reducing pollution, lowering wastage, utilising alternate fuel in the form of wind-powered production plants, and making packaging choices with the least environmental impact. Widely recognised for its commitment in championing environmental causes, the brand will have a booth at the South Court, Ground Floor of Mid Valley Megamall throughout the period of the campaign for awareness-raising of the issue of reducing the usage of polystyrene-based packaging and adopting biodegradable options for packing food as well as to collect cosmetic empties to reduce the amount of materials sent to landfills.

To illustrate the importance of the message “REDUCE: Adopt Biodegradables. Take away Responsibly”, The Estee Lauder Companies will make its presence felt at the shopping mall’s food courts on March 24 for 3 days by supplying all its food vendors with biodegradable lunch boxes for food takeways. The move will undoubtedly be noticed by the Mid Valley community, comprised mainly of office workers, who usually receive their packed lunch orders in Polystyrene-based containers. It will serve to highlight the message that we must learn to “take away responsibly.”

Other partners involved in the green endeavour include HSBC Bank Malaysia. Shoppers spending a minimum of RM350 in a single receipt at any specialty stores (RM250 for HSBC credit card holders) will be rewarded with an ocean-themed shirt that comes in three designs; and Shark Savers, an organisation founded by divers who share a passion for saving the world’s shark and manta populations. The latter’s “I’m FINished with Fins” campaign to reduce the consumption of shark fin soup has seen the participation of hundreds of celebrities and community leaders.

With so much to offer, and more importantly, its underlying commitment towards shining the spotlight on the fragility of the Earth’s beautiful oceans, shoppers are encouraged to take part in the activities of Earth Month 2014 at Mid Valley Megamall. It is time to learn that we can all play a part in helping to save the world’s oceans by opting to make the switch to the biodegradable option or by taking our own containers when we choose to take away food.

Join The Estee Lauder Companies Malaysia, Mid Valley Megamall, HSBC Bank Malaysia and Shark Savers in working towards a world with cleaner, more sustainable oceans.