Two major events occurred in 2021 with the potential to create a major impact on environmental sustainability in China.

1. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity was being held in China for the first time.

2. A herd of elephants in China “ran away from home”, capturing the nation’s imagination. Many saw it as a romantic adventure, and it was followed by millions like a mini-series. But the reality was much darker - they were fleeing deforestation.

As a champion of environmental issues, L’Oréal Paris wanted to take the opportunity of the convention to raise awareness and encourage action around environmental sustainability. We had been following the movements of the elephants since late 2020, and were increasingly alarmed that an invaluable teaching moment for environmental issues was becoming “entertainment”.

The brief was simple – redirect the elephant story back towards the issue of the their environment and survival.

L’Oréal Paris and elephants are not a natural match. So we found a point of commonality between the two – wrinkles. L’Oréal Paris has products that help humans get rid of them, while elephants depend on them for their and their habitat’s survival. And so the idea was born:

Recycle your wrinkles for the the elephants.

Fundamentally, recycling is about taking something one party no longer wants and turn it into something another party wants. Everyone knows about recycling physical resources (glass, plastic, water), but we believed an opportunity existed to extend it to something more abstract – recycling the idea of something, in this case “wrinkles”.

According to Alibaba's "Generation Z Internet Charity Behavior Report" released in February 2021, people aged 18-25 account for 27% of Internet charity participants, who are keen on light charity and more willing to forward charity information casually. However, they are not receptive to being shamed or made to feel guilty. Instead, they are more receptive to participating in a greater story, and being on the leading edge of a new movement or idea.

The strategy was to recreate the “romanticism” of the real elephants’ journey, and use it to create a program to help raise awareness and action around the elephants’ degraded habitat.

We created a recycling program for L’Oréal Paris’ popular anti-wrinkle products for people to “recycle their wrinkles for the elephants”. This was supported with a film shot by celebrated director Lu Chuan and celebrity Zhu Yilong, along with a serial online audiobook and a major exhibition at the Shanghai Natural History Museum.

4/15– A recycling program for empty L’Oréal Paris anti-wrinkle product containers launches at over 3000 stores nationwide. Empty containers are turned into shelter and feeding supplies for the Yunnan Asian Elephant Breeding and Rescue Center.

5/13– Online film and audiobooks launched, taking people on an journey “In Search of Wrinkles for the Elephants”.

8/10– Exhibition unveiled at the Shanghai Natural History Museum, educating visitors about the environmental reasons for the elephants’ decision to leave their home and inviting children to co-create exhibits. A film hall, interactive projection mapping, and animatronics were used to engage and inspire visitors.

Anticipating the explosion of public attention on the runaway elephants, the campaign was launched just as the national conversation peaked.

Total impressions exceeded 800 million.

Over 1.9 million social engagements.

Exhibition footfall at capacity throughout its duration.

Widespread positive media coverage focusing on the elephants’ environmental issues, instead of their “romantic” adventure.

Chinanews.com – “Illuminates humanity and nature’s future”

Sohu.com – “Brilliant”

Wenhui Daily – “Rich and vivid”

Sina.com – “Recycle your unwanted wrinkles and give them to the elephants”