Colenso BBDO

Client: DB Breweries
Product: DB Export
Title: DB Export Beer Bottle Sand
Media: Integrated
Country: New Zealand
Date Of Campaign: February 2017

Background: Sand is the second most-exploited resource on the planet (behind water). It is used in the production of almost everything, from construction to pharmaceuticals. As a result, almost two-thirds of the world's beaches were retreating. Simply put, the world was running out of sand.

Idea: Consumption of mainstream beer had been in slow decline. To reverse this, DB Breweries had tried to give beer a higher purpose. Namely, drinking beer could help save the environment. DB Export built a fleet of machines that turned empty bottles of DB Export into a sand substitute. One bottle made 200 grams of sand. Partnering with New Zealand's largest recycling company, commercial quantities of sand were created by combining DB Export bottles with glass destined for landfill. This was then made available to construction companies and anyone else who needed it, reducing New Zealand's reliance on beach sand. A two-year deal was signed with Drymix, the country's biggest producer of concrete, to use the sand in the manufacture of an eco-friendly concrete sold through DIY stores. Now, to save their beaches, all New Zealanders needed to do was empty a bottle of DB Export.

Results: While the final results have not yet been calculated, the film of the machine had been viewed over 50 million times within weeks and shared over 700,000 times. Road builders construction companies and golf courses have all requested sand and an electronics manufacturer investigated its suitability for microchip production.