This Campaign from Dentsu and Global Action Plan Sucks

Dentsu UK&I has unveiled its latest innovation in support of its long-term commitment to sustainability – an anti-toxin mural sucking pollution from the air of one of London’s most congested streets. Towering almost eight meters above passersby on Euston Road, the mural aims to raise awareness of one London’s biggest issues - air pollution. 

This Campaign Sucks has been developed in partnership with Global Action Plan, an environmental charity, to mark Clean Air Day 2024. It highlights the unacceptable levels of air pollution in London and educates people on the actions they can take to help drive change. By scanning the QR code painted on the wall, the public can engage with interactive elements and ‘catch’ the air pollution in the art, developed in partnership with Web AR Platform Zappar.

The mural uses CleanAir by Resysten technology, a specialist paint coating which can reduce nitrous oxide levels in the atmosphere by up to 73% when applied to concrete and brick. The paint breaks down pollutants into harmless salts that are found naturally on Earth which are then blown away with the weather. The longer the paint is on the mural, the more pollutants it absorbs from the air, becoming more effective over time.  

This Campaign Sucks was bought to life by Dentsu Creative and Global Street Art, who specialise in hand-painted advertising. Dentsu’s ambition is to Innovate to Impact by finding new, transformative solutions to the biggest issues facing business and communities. Its sustainability strategy is focused on improving the health of people and the planet using innovative technology, underpinned by the power of creativity. This project is the latest in a series of dentsu-led initiatives aligned to the Japanese principle of Sanpo Yoshi, where outcomes must have three-way benefit to business, people and society.

The scale of the air pollution challenge is clear. Air pollution is linked to 43,000 deaths per year in the UK. While the capital’s Low Emissions Zones have helped contribute to a 4.5% reduction in long-term health problems and an 8% decrease in respiratory issues like asthma and bronchitis, high levels of air pollution are still being reported.

Clean Air Day is the UK’s largest air pollution campaign with the mission to improve public understanding of the issue of air pollution and inspire action. This year’s Clean Air Day campaign highlights that cars and vans are the biggest source of toxic chemicals in our air and encourages people to use their voices to call on the next government to clean it up, by signing a petition calling for cleaner and greener transport choices.

The launch of This Campaign Sucks is the first project in the partnership between dentsu and Global Action Plan, who have teamed up to tackle poor air quality across cities in the UK and Ireland. The charity’s Clean Air Public Insight Tracker found that over half of the people polled said they are concerned about the long-term impacts of air pollution on their health. Global Action Plan’s goal is that people in urban areas can breathe clean air by 2030. 

Pamela Stathaki, head of sustainability, EMEA at dentsu says, “Our 2024 Consumer Vision report found that 79% of UK consumers prefer to shop for brands that offer solutions that not only minimise the negative impact on the world, but rather restore and create a positive impact for the environment. Social responsibility needs to become a core value in every business, and we need to be better at promoting and demonstrating how brands can enact change. We are proud to be partnering with a charity as committed as Global Action Plan, that is driving change globally but also making a real difference to people’s lives in local communities.”

Nicky O’Malley, director of corporate partnerships at Global Action Plan says, “Air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to our health, affecting us from before our first breath to our last. The good news is that solutions to our air pollution problem already exist. This Clean Air Day, we’re encouraging everyone to take action to ensure that people can travel in cleaner and greener ways. We are delighted to have partnered with dentsu on this project to raise public awareness of the issue in a creative and engaging way, as part of our goal that people in urban areas can breathe clean air by 2030.”  

You can view the mural and engage with it via the interactive QR code at 222 Euston Road, NW1 2DA between 14th June and 23rd June 2024.