China Environmental Protection Foundation: Chopstick tree
Every year Chinese consumes 45 billion pairs of disposable wooden chopsticks which equal around 25 million trees. We recycle over 30 thousand used disposable wooden chopsticks from restaurants all over Shanghai. Wash them, process and collage them into a 5-meter-high-chopstick-tree, we then break it down in the middle and then display the piece in the busiest district. Through the fallen chopstick-tree, we alert the people that the use of disposable wooden chopsticks means the destruction of large numbers of trees.
Advertising Agency: DDB, Shanghai, China
Creative Directors: Michael Dee , Shihyen Lee
Associate Creative Director: Lim Boon Seng
Art Directors: Lim Boon Seng ,Michael Ma
Copywriters: Hesky Lu, Adam Wang
Photographer: Leslie Sim
Agency Executive Producer: George Ooi
Executive Producer: Sean Chen
Line Producer: Eugenia Zhen
Production Art Director: Lin Tao
Published: December 2010
14 Comments
Love this kind of thing. It looks almost natural. But the little bit of unnatural qualities makes you want to look closer. Very clever, very well crafted. Just don't tell me a sweatshop full of underpaid laborers put it together and I'll be thrilled.
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Fantastic. Love it when art and advertising collide.
What hath God wrought
Seems a very basic idea to me "Let's make a tree out of chopsticks". They've done it beautifully though, making it pretty much worthwhile.
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Sorry this is not a "very basic" idea, not even "basic".
I really like this, but one could argue that wasting 30,000 chop sticks to make a fake tree is a little counter-productive towards the cause.
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I didn't think about that, great point!
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True, good point :) But they're used chopsticks right?
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I see your point but thats exactly the point!!! Used chopped sticks can be useful again, this time to create awarness, right?!
did You read the description? They RECYCLED USED chopsticks.
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Great visual representation of the harm chopsticks can do to the environment. Simple, clear, and to the point!
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Chopsticks can be recycled yes? Great campaign though.
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If people would put them in the proper receptacles/centers in order to recycle them, then yes, in many places they would be recycleable. However, where I am for example, if one does not take the time to separate their recycleables from their "garbage", it goes straight to the dump. There is no sorting in between.
Even more sadly, several items that are actually recycleable are not accepted in recycling bins here, like glass. Also, due to fluctuations in markets, materials may not always be accepted.
I think one giant chopstick cut down like a tree would have been more impactful. But who am I? Jack Black that's who.
I know they are used chop sticks, but i also think is a little counter-productive towards the cause.
Perhaps if instead of making a tree just for "Exposition" they would make something more productive I´ll be more excited with the idea.