Margate-based brand Haeckels, renowned for its holistic approach to natural beauty and skincare, has released its new Christmas initiative, titled Don't Give Rubbish. The project's messaging explores how the act of gift-giving over the festive period can be simultaneously joyous and responsible, encouraging the consumer to produce less waste in the process.
'This campaign was born from a meeting of several ideas stitched together forming a multi-layered feeling, much like with everything that Haeckels does,' brand founder Dom Bridges tells Wallpaper*. 'Christmas is a time for fun and sharing but we must not forget the all-consuming supermarket giants who are controlling and polluting waste streams. We wanted to create something different to shine a light on the issue while continuing to support the community here in Margate.'
A thoughtful Christmas with Haeckels
Indeed, since its inception in 2012, giving back to the wider Margate community has been an intrinsic value of Haeckels. This includes cleaning the beaches and neighborhoods around its stores (which has, in turn, highlighted the problem of overconsumption that underpins the new campaign). A Christmas tree installation, located in the heart of the Kentish seaside town and constructed from disused shopping trolleys, calls further attention to the issue. As the brand notes: 'For 2023, it is estimated that the UK will use 227,000 miles of wrapping paper, with residents sending around 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging to landfills instead of being recycled.'
The Christmas gift sets themselves (there are five in total, which contain hero products ranging from the Marine Facial Cleanser and Algae Plump Serum, to items from the Spiraglow and Bladderwack collections) are wrapped in recycled paper and adorned with designs developed from waste materials gathered from Walpole Bay, during one of Haeckels beach clearing sessions. Ten per cent of the gift kit sales will be donated to Margate Independent Food Bank. 'We are hoping to raise awareness on this shared responsibility and ask big corporations to tidy up their commitment to the planet to tackle the issue,' says Haeckels, demonstrating its ongoing dedication to environmental preservation.
Haeckels Christmas 2023 gift kits are available now at haeckels.com
