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7 May, 2019

National Geographic urges public to ‘Make Good – Defy Plastic’ with innovative new platform

National Geographic has teamed up with creative advertising agency R/GA Australia to create a platform designed to address humanitarian, societal and environmental challenges by accelerating innovation for a better world.

The platform, ‘Make Good – Defy Plastic’, is being launched via an intensive, three-day innovation lab dedicated to the problem of ocean pollution from single-use plastic – the source of over 75 per cent of marine debris.

Make Good – Defy Plastic will seek to unearth and develop early-stage ideas that either reduce plastic consumption through behavioural change; revive coastlines by removing plastic waste or keeping it out of oceans; and redesign existing products and services to be plastic-free.

The innovation lab will be run during this year’s Semi Permanent festival later this month, which for the first time will also be a plastic-free event.

Ideas are currently being sought, with individuals and teams invited to submit proposals between now and 15 May.

A panel of experts from National Geographic and R/GA will then select participants for the lab, which will include inspirational talks, discussions, and one-on-one time with design, technology and marketing mentors.

At its conclusion, one idea will be chosen and showcased live at Semi Permanent, featured in National Geographic editorial, and further developed through ongoing mentorship from R/GA.

Sam Boynton, senior manager of business development and partnerships at National Geographic, said: “Big, complicated environmental issues like plastic pollution rarely have an obvious fix.

“So, we strongly believe that initiatives like Make Good are needed as a powerful means to identify, develop, and scale solutions that may otherwise have gone un-invented.”

Drew Klonsky, executive director of business transformation at R/GA Australia, said: “The goal of Make Good is to stimulate new ways of thinking and support young changemakers whose ideas could help address problems they’ve been unlucky enough to inherit.

“By partnering with National Geographic – a company synonymous with preserving, protecting and advancing our understanding of the planet – we hope to shine a light on amazing, transformational ideas and help take them to the next level.”

For more information on Make Good – Defy Plastic, and to make a submission for inclusion in the innovation lab, click here.

National Geographic’s country manager for Australia, Andrea Robinson, will be speaking about all things sustainability at Travel DAZE 2019. Click here to secure your spot at the travel industry’s most disruptive conference.

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Make Good – Defy Plastic national geographic R/GA R/GA Australia sustainability