To combat plastic waste in Swedish waters, Carlsberg Sweden partnered with GreenKayak, an organization lending kayaks in exchange for trash collection. To activate this sponsorship and engage the public, they launched 'Pladdling' – a new term and activity combining paddling with litter picking, inspired by 'plogging.' Through PR, social media, influencer collaborations, and physical stations in four cities, Carlsberg promoted Pladdling as a new national pastime.
This initiative generated massive media attention, engaged nearly two thousand participants who collected over three tons of trash, and successfully linked Carlsberg's brand to environmental sustainability.
Results
The new phenomenon Pladdling created massive attention in Sweden's largest newspapers, radio stations and TV channels. With pladdling, Carlsberg managed to activate its core target group both physically and digitally and tie the sustainability issue closer to the brand. All over Sweden, pladdling took place in lakes and archipelagos. At Carlsberg's pladdling stations alone, almost two thousand people tried pladdling and together they picked up over three tons of trash from the water.