For the past 30 years, 1800 Tequila and Proximo spirits have been realising the creative potential of waste in Mexico.

With a growing presence in Australia, last year, they wanted to find a way to address the ever-increasing waste problem down under. With over 20 million tonnes of waste being dumped into the ground year in, year out, they wanted to find a way to celebrate all the incredible creative applications of our waste.

They also wanted to start associating their product with elevated drinking experiences and had a desire to move their tequila away from being perceived as something you simply drink as shots.

Working with 21 Australian innovators, artists, and designers, we repurposed one of the 18,000 tip trucks that pour waste into the ground every day, and had it pour out what that waste could become. From melted shampoo bottle walls to salvaged concrete tables, every element of the bar was made from waste that was once headed to landfill.

The bar was designed to capture both the problem and solution in one and stand as a powerful visual reminder that our waste has limitless creative potential.

Every component of the bar was scannable and shoppable, leading to an immersive digital experience where customers could learn more about our waste crisis and, more importantly, support the creatives who are creating a circular economy.

The best part? Once last drinks were called, every single element of the bar was repurposed or recycled into brand-new products.

This bar had two key objectives. The first, to pull back the curtain on Australia's waste crisis and help propel the creatives finding innovative solutions. The second to associate 1800 Tequila with elevated drinking experiences.

In order to hit these two objectives we divided our PR targetting into major news outlets and more culture-based publications that would be more interested in the food and drinks aspect of the bar.

We created a hype film and enlisted professional photographers to capture the bar as soon as it was built so we could send out a high-quality video news reel and supporting Imagery. Meaning that, as soon as the bar was open we had already been featured on Australia's largest news channel as well as a range of other publications.

The content we created was carefully crafted and edited depending on the outlets we were targeting to ensure maximum coverage and reach.

Running for three days, the Bar Saved from Landfill was set up in the Sydney Botanic Gardens, bringing an otherwise ignored issue to a place that couldn’t be ignored. Incredibly, the bar was constructed and installed within 3 weeks.

As well as James Dive, we worked with over 21 Australian artists, designers and fabricators to create the bar exclusively from materials that would have otherwise ended up in the ground.

From old shampoo bottles, bread tags, salvaged concrete, and reclaimed steel, tonnes upon tonnes of waste was used to set up the bar.

While we only served hundreds, we reached tens of millions through our earned media impact.

The best part? Once the bar had called last drinks, every single element of it was reused or recycled.

We reached over 41 million through earned media (1,673% more than our KPI) and a further 3.6 million on social media.

We were featured in 49 (10 of which were international) publications including Timeout, Channel 7, Man of Many and Australian Bartender.

100% of coverage included at least 1 key message with 83% of coverage including hero assets, surpassing KPI by 20% and 13% respectively.

Further to this, 94% of coverage secured included 2 key messages and 88% of coverage contained 3 key messages. All tickets were sold within 9 hours of the event launching. And our event page had a total of 5000 views.

More importantly, we helped propel and promote the creatives who are a circular economy, increasing traffic to our partner websites by over 400%.