Earth Hour x EPSON

Epson, world-leading printing and electronics manufacturer, is a trailblazer in the corporate world for their rigorous sustainability goals and measures. Their commitment to the environment began close to 80 years ago and is stronger than ever today. Their product designs and business decisions focus on low energy consumption, minimised waste, small environmental footprints, high reliability and minimal moving parts.

Epson’s environmentally focused vision coincides with the mission of WWF’s annual campaign Earth Hour and that of our global branding team here at TOAST - all seeking to create a better, greener future for our planet.

Bringing together these like minded teams, WWF Singapore and our TOAST team worked with Epson to spearhead a sub-campaign for Earth Hour 2024. As Earth Hour’s first international corporate partner, the collaboration between Epson, TOAST and WWF has created an invaluable partnership as we embark on a mission to amplify Earth Hour's message and encourage collective action towards sustainability.

The primary challenge of this sub-campaign lay in rallying global, cross-demographic support and engagement to foster a unified movement towards a sustainable planet. Working across 3 time zones and uniting 20+ passionate individuals, TOAST, Epson and WWF-Singapore faced the task of inspiring individuals and communities worldwide to actively participate in Earth Hour's mission. Additionally, the emphasis on community involvement required strategies that resonated at both local and global levels. Collaboration across diverse stakeholders and aligning with Epson’s existing initiatives, added depth and complexity to the project, necessitating seamless alignment of objectives and approaches.

The sub-campaign for Epson was aptly named 'A Simple Switch', symbolising the small yet impactful changes all individuals can make to support environmental conservation efforts. By simply making a slight switch in our daily habits, we can have a great combined impact on our environment.

TOAST's involvement in the campaign was enormously comprehensive, beginning with a 2-day strategic alignment session for the three teams in Singapore. Emile, our Head of Strategy, ran two 6 hour collaborative sessions with the Epson team. This involved strategic visioning and campaign development - pivotal moves for aligning all stakeholders towards a unified vision and approach. Using the defined campaign concept of ‘A Simple Switch’, The Toasties leveraged our expertise in script writing, storyboarding and video production to create compelling video campaigns that captured the essence of Earth Hour's message and highlighted Epson's dedication to sustainability through its #MakeTheSwitch campaign. A comprehensive social media strategy devised by TOAST and WWF ensured maximum outreach, amplifying Earth Hour's impact and raising awareness of Epson's sustainability initiatives on a global scale.

Recognising the importance of internal alignment within Epson's team for the roll out and comprehension of the campaign, with WWF, TOAST produced valuable documentation and resources, including a campaign communications guideline, operations manual and detailed employee e-handbook. These resources empowered Epson's team to champion the campaign internally and externally, ensuring alignment with the campaign's objectives and Earth Hour's initiatives.

Beyond the immediate campaign objectives, the collaboration fostered a lasting legacy of partnership and innovation in the fight against climate change. By harnessing the collective power of creativity, technology and environmental advocacy, the collaboration exemplified the transformative potential of cross-sector partnerships in addressing global challenges.

In an era defined by environmental urgency, the collaboration between TOAST, Epson and WWF-Singapore stands as a beacon of hope and progress. Through strategic alignment, creative execution and a shared unwavering environmental commitment, our three teams demonstrated the power of collaboration in driving meaningful change. And as the world continues to grapple with environmental challenges, this campaign partnership serves as a testament to the transformative impact that can be achieved when organisations unite towards a common purpose: to create a more sustainable future for generations to come.

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‍The collaboration between WWF-Singapore, TOAST, and Epson resulted in a resounding success, with the 'A Simple Switch' sub-campaign making a significant impact on raising awareness and driving action for sustainability.‍

WWF-Singapore is open to develop more meaningful partnerships for now and the future.