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Where sustainability becomes art

Since March 2022, PepsiCo, Pepsi Max and the WWF have set themselves the task of making the beverage manufacturer more sustainable and reducing or even completely eliminating plastic packaging. The group now wants to use an art competition to stimulate debate among the wider public.

Since March 2022, PepsiCo, Pepsi Max and the WWF have set themselves the task of making the beverage manufacturer more sustainable and reducing or even completely eliminating plastic packaging. The group now wants to use an art competition to stimulate debate among the wider public.

Sandrina Karl found out about the competition for the Sustainability competition organised by the SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences and the Pepsi Max brand discovered. Now her contribution hangs with 99 other works by various creatives in the exhibition rooms of the Hafenstudio in Hamburg's Hafencity. The 24-year-old proudly allows herself to be photographed in front of her design and her very personal perspective on the subject. The excitement about whether her contribution will be honoured at the awards ceremony and vernissage this evening is palpable. After all, Prize money totalling 20,000 euros awaits the winners of the poster competition.

The creative potential of the one hundred works is impressive. The ideas are multi-layered. The approaches are as varied as the climate crisis itself. Sometimes you see female superheroes that we urgently need, then mountains of plastic waste floating in the water like an iceberg, with only the small tip visible. „Just the Tip!“ is even reminiscent of the sinking of the Titanic. Or Sandrina Karl's contribution „Time to think!“ with a skull filled with rubbish.

(Image: Simone Sever)
Sandrina Karl in front of her contribution "Time to think". (Image: Simonve Sever)
(Image: Simone Sever)
(Image: Simone Sever)

Every single one of the posters is worth seeing. Around 60 visitors to the vernissage attentively study even the smallest details. Who will win the race for first place? No easy task for the jury, which was made up of Torben Nielsen, Managing Director for Germany, Austria and Switzerland at PepsiCo, Gabor Kovacs, Professor of Digital Product Development at SRH and watson's Sustainability Editor Josephine Andreoli is composed of. But the jury team finally managed to honour the three most successful implementations. The task was to create a humorous, provocative, challenging or analytical poster that addresses the climate crisis and sustainable packaging. The winners have now been announced. Third place went to Alexander Rozmann with his Titanic-like iceberg made of single-use plastic. Konstantin Weid, who realised his message graphically, was delighted with second place for „Paper that!. You have to look closely, because only the »that« consists of a disposable cup, packaging remnants and plastic film, the rest is of course made of paper.

Display

Companies must become aware of their role

Drum roll for Helene Hartenstein and Luka Herzog, who not only convinced the jury but also the audience with their poster idea „Making the sea“. Their work impressively demonstrates how PepsiCo is committed to recycling and shows an open sea area in the form of a Pepsi bottle in the middle of a sea waste carpet. Making the sea!

1st place (Image: PepsiCo)
2nd place (Image: PepsiCo)
3rd place (Image: PepsiCo)

Maximilian von Hoyningen, Head of Corporate Partnerships for WWF Germany, was also at the vernissage and said: „Consumption without waste is not feasible in total, but it must be clear that no more packaging should end up in our oceans or the environment. For plastic, we need strict avoidance concepts and a functioning circular economy. Above all, it is important that companies are aware of and fulfil their role in climate protection and the careful use of resources. We are not closed to those like PepsiCo who seek our advice.“ The WWF stand in the future PepsiCo We are also happy to advise you on strategies to increase the reusable rate and develop further solutions for sustainable packaging materials and recyclable packaging.

Additional attention was attracted by Collaboration with high-reach influencers from the fields of sustainability, art and lifestyle. They included Victoria Müller, presenter, bestselling author, animal rights activist and founder of the fair fashion label „The New Rose“, as well as Bachelorette finalist Max Adrio. In the run-up to the vernissage, they all called on their fans and followers to take part in the competition and contributed their own creations.

Sandrina Karl was unable to take any of the top places. Nevertheless, she can be proud to have made it into the 100 exhibition works. And so the winners of the evening are not just the award winners, participants and guests. In the long term, the winner is the environment, which was not the last time it took centre stage that evening.

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