The group accused Dove of hypocrisy, releasing a video challenging the brand’s plastic use despite its Real Beauty messaging, calling for an end to single-use plastics.
[dropcap]G[/dropcap]reenpeace has accused Dove of hypocrisy over its contribution to plastic pollution, despite the brand’s popular “Real Beauty” campaigns.
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The environmental group launched a video mirroring Dove’s 2021 “Toxic Influence” advert, which challenged harmful beauty advice, but with a focus on the damage caused by plastic waste.
Directed by Bafta-nominated filmmaker Alice Russell, the film features mothers and daughters discussing their admiration for Dove’s ads before being confronted with statistics on plastic pollution linked to Dove’s parent company, Unilever.
This new campaign follows Greenpeace’s “Real Harm” protest last year, which targeted Unilever’s London headquarters.
Protesters shut down the building’s entrances, displaying a giant Dove product that highlighted the environmental impact of plastic waste.
Anna Diski, Greenpeace’s plastics campaigner, emphasised that Unilever, one of the largest plastic polluters, produces 1,700 plastic sachets every second, impacting communities worldwide.
Greenpeace argues that Dove’s message of empowerment contradicts its contribution to global plastic pollution.
Unilever defended its sustainability efforts, stating its goal is to end plastic pollution through reduction, circulation, and collaboration.
However, Greenpeace insists that Unilever has failed to take meaningful action, despite 10 months of campaigning.
Diski highlighted that Greenpeace only resorts to these films when dialogue fails, and the film aims to expose the disparity between Dove’s image and its environmental impact.
Greenpeace painstakingly recreated Dove’s iconic ad, investing £80,000 to produce the video and £54,000 to promote it across platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
The campaign calls on Unilever to phase out single-use plastics, starting with sachets, and move towards reusable packaging within 10 years.
The film aims to disrupt Dove’s 20 years of celebrating “Real Beauty,” pushing Unilever to make a significant shift in its environmental practices.
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