With sustainability deeply embedded in our DNA, we needed to bring the consumer closer to our environmental strategy. So, we redefined the narrative around plastic waste in Romania into a new kind of storytelling: one that would not only educate but captivate audiences, igniting a desire for positive change. As a Swedish brand, we found a way to inspire Romanians to embrace “a more Swedish way of living”.

We redefined the most loved dish by tourists and locals, the fish soup, into Fish SouPET, a dish made from plastic bottles collected from the Danube Delta, in order to bring the plastic pollution subject closer to the consumer's table.

Danube Delta, a popular touristic destination and ecological heaven poses a paradoxical threat: tourism contributes to the economic aspect of it but also leaves behind garbage that endangers the fragile ecosystem of the inhabitants. So, we had to tackle the delicate pollution subject. Without pushing our audience away.  As plastic waste is a national problem in Romania,  besides the primary target of tourists, we broadened our audience to a national level, by using a mix of digital platforms and traditional media channels. The media channel mix and the humour touch spread the campaign’s message widely, ensuring maximum visibility and engagement.

We addressed the issue locally but turned it into a national conversation. At the end of the tourist season, in collaboration with local fishermen, restaurants, and community members, we prepared the Fish SouPET from plastic bottles thrown away by tourists. Then, as a public anti-pollution statement, locals exposed iron pots of the reinvented dish in front of their homes. Over half of guesthouses and fish restaurants joined the initiative and introduced “the yummy dish” into their menus. Nationally, we spread our message by collaborating with online delivery services, influencers, food festivals, national TV stations, and media outlets.

The hardest challenge was to involve the consumer in the brand sustainability strategy. We overcame it by democratizing the way we talked about pollution. For the first time we translated into peoples’ language, by turning into something they could easily relate to: a soup.

The living proof is that, despite starting locally, we reached 9M PEOPLE and generated a 93% POSITIVE SENTIMENT towards the initiative. Indeed, no one tasting the soup, but OVER 2500 ROMANIANS “fished” for plastic bottles in cities, parks, lakes, around their homes, sharing their action on social channels while tagging #Electrolux and #FishSouPET. The campaign became a symbol of Romania’s struggle with plastic pollution, making it the most successful campaign for Electrolux Romania ever, mentioned in 62 NATIONAL PRESS ARTICLES.