Mumbai : The Mahindra Group reinforced its long-term commitment toward the Environment through the launch of a new digital campaign today that builds a case for tree plantation and encourages people to #RiseAgainstClimateChange. The big idea of the film is to celebrate the Tree – the hardest worker on the planet, selflessly fighting climate change for all time. Taking the age old adage of ‘Medium is the Message’ to a new level, the entire film has been uniquely created using recycled waste paper, making it environment friendly and highly differentiated while giving out a subliminal message on waste recycling.
The campaign goes live today across all the digital channels of Mahindra Rise and will be supported by various surround activities including social media engagements, contests, felicitation of Environment champions and enabling people to take action on the ground through select NGOs. Together, all of this will spread the word and help create a movement around this vital cause.
According to Vivek Nayer, Chief Marketing Officer, Group Corporate Brand, Mahindra Group, Mahindra is a socially responsible and trusted brand and with our RISE philosophy, we not only want to do good in the community, but also aim to inspire others to do good in order to drive positive societal change. There is a significant impetus on the cause of Environment across the world and this film is aimed at driving the message on environment conservation.
“With the #RiseAgainstClimateChange campaign, we’re bringing to the forefront the issue of environment degradation and seeking people’s collective power to address it through the act of planting trees. In fact, to make our message more impactful, we built the sets for our film using only recycled waste paper, ensuring that every aspect of the communication reinforces the cause of conservation,” added Mr. Nayer.
The Mahindra team conducted a detailed social media listening exercise on social causes in India. Not surprisingly, Climate Change emerged as the second biggest concern for millennials that accounted for over 22% of the conversations online.
This campaign is especially important in light of the following facts that emerged from secondary research:
Deforestation levels are extremely high
In the last few decades as much as 80% of the world’s forests have been destroyed or irreparably degraded.
We continue to lose 18.7 million acres of forests annually, equivalent to 27 soccer fields every minute.
The film uses animation where all the elements have been created out of recycled paper including highways, bridges, factories, trees and even smoke. The voiceover, in tandem with the images, talks about the negative impact that human beings exert on the environment, and how the quiet and humble tree is a consistent hard worker, that reverses the damage and helps clean the environment. After the completion of the film, the sets constructed out of recycled paper were shredded and converted into manure, upholding the overall message of the campaign which is Environment Conservation.
Commenting on the purpose and genesis of the campaign, Sushil Singh, Vice President Group CSR, Mahindra & Mahindra said, “The Mahindra Group has extensive experience in addressing climate change through various initiatives including our Hariyali program that has planted over 15 million trees in the last 12 years. Together we can make a real difference to the environment, and we hope that this film will not only promote better understanding of this cause, but also inspire action from others.”
Mahindra’s Hariyali Program, since 2007 has planted over 15 million trees across the length and breadth of India. The program has not only increased the country’s green cover substantially but has also enhanced livelihood opportunities and built nutritional security for several local communities.
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