World Cleanup Day communication

One of the world's largest civic initiatives, originating and led from Estonia.

World Cleanup Day was launched as a major communication project with the goal of drawing global attention to the problem of litter and mobilizing people to clean up the Earth in at least 150 countries on the same day. This goal was exceeded—17.8 million people from 157 countries participated. World Cleanup Day was the greatest gift to the world on the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia. The budget for this civic initiative's communication was €170,000.
Strategy

• The goal of the international communication was to involve as many people as possible and to raise awareness of the global waste problem.
• The goal of the Estonian communication was to create a sense of pride in society over the fact that the largest civic initiative in world history was being led by Estonians for the first time.
  

The communication headquarters was based in Estonia, from where communication teams in 150 countries were led and supported. These teams were independent but followed a centrally agreed plan, messages, and toolkit.

• Target Groups
  

The target group included a network from 150 countries and journalists. In Estonia, the target group consisted of residents of Estonia.

• Stakeholders
  

Stakeholders included governments of the countries, celebrities, international organizations, and journalists. In Estonia, important stakeholders also included local businesses, government agencies, local governments, and well-known national and entertainment figures.

• Channels
  

Channels used included a website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and the media. In Estonia, internal communication channels of companies were also utilized.

• Messages
  

The messages focused on the waste problem, mapping litter, and cleaning efforts. In Estonia, the focus was on the uniqueness of the idea and the decade-long tradition of cleanup efforts.

As an innovative approach, a 24-hour live YouTube broadcast took place on September 15, hosted by presenters from Ireland and Zimbabwe.

Results

An estimated minimum of 88,500 tons of waste was collected, mostly plastics and glass. Approximately 15% of the collected waste was sent for recycling.

Media Coverage

There were 33,400 media and social media mentions, with a total reach of 113.8 billion. Twitter mentions reached 2.5 million, with a reach of 15 million. In Estonia, the number of media coverage instances from September 7 to 23 was 345.
Awards

• World Cleanup Day is a laureate of the UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development.
• The World Cleanup app was selected as one of the best digital solutions at the World Summit Award.
• Eva Truuverk, the leader of World Cleanup Day, was named Citizen of the Year and Woman of the Year.

"We are the first generation that knows we are destroying our planet and the last that can do anything about it." - Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia