Better Buds
Client
Beach Patrol 3265
Services
campaign strategy, advocacy, political briefings
Location
Australia
THE PROJECT
A campaign to ban plastic-stemmed cotton buds.
We worked with Beach Patrol 3280, an inspirational group of volunteers determined to keep our beaches clean, to expose the environmental pollution caused by single-use cotton buds and to achieve a ban on their sale.
THE CHALLENGE
Plastic-stemmed cotton buds were consistently among the most commonly found plastic waste along the Victorian coastline. Volunteers collected them by the thousands, but the real challenge was stopping the plastic at its source — before it ended up in our waterways, oceans and beaches. To do that, we needed to drive change at both industry and legislative level.
THE SOLUTION
With a mountain of data collected by Beach Patrol 3280 as an evidence base, the Better Buds campaign was launched with a two-fold approach:
1. Targeting industry
We lobbied manufacturers and major retailers to stop producing and stocking plastic-stemmed cotton buds and to switch to biodegradable alternatives.
2. Advocating for legislation
We used evidence-based arguments to advocate for plastic-stemmed cotton buds to be included in a state-wide ban on single-use plastics.
By focusing efforts on both the supply chain and the policy environment, we aimed to tackle the problem at its source.
THE RESULTS
In 2021, the Victorian Government announced a state-wide ban on single-use plastics, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds were included.
Major producers, including Johnson & Johnson, also announced they would stop producing plastic-stemmed cotton buds.
Better Buds was one part of a much broader movement led by passionate people and organisations. Our campaign helped ensure that the voices of the community, and the evidence collected from years of volunteer beach clean-ups, were heard loud and clear.
What began with a small piece of plastic on the sand became part of a statewide shift toward a cleaner, more sustainable future.
