Press release - 15 March, 2012
Amsterdam, 15 March 2012: To mark the 50th anniversary of World Consumer Rights Day, Greenpeace today celebrated the role of consumers in changing corporate behavior by launching a musical video and a people-powered instagram competition which gives consumers the chance to star in the next campaign commercial (1).
The video and competition come off the back of the global Detox campaign, which has so far convinced global giants such as Nike and Adidas (2) to commit to eliminate the use of toxic chemicals in their production processes and products.
"Consumers are the single most powerful force changing corporate behaviour today," said Tommy Crawford, Communications Manager at Greenpeace International. "Time and time again we have seen brands giving in to consumer demands when the voices online and on the shop floor get loud enough."
Inspired by the work of viral hit-makers the Gregory Brothers (3), the latest video tells the story of a campaign which saw hundreds of thousands of people taking action on and offline (4) to convince brands including H&M and Puma to "Detox" and eliminate all toxic and hormone-disrupting chemicals from their supply chains and products.
The latest competition on instagram (5) takes things a step further by encouraging users to submit photos of themselves in plain t-shirts in order to have their clothes used as the canvas for the next campaign messaging and visuals. It is one of the first times the photo-sharing application has been used as a tool for online environmental campaigning.
"Greenpeace is always looking to use the latest platforms and technology to help consumers push big brands to both commit to change and then stick to their promises," said Crawford.
Contacts:
Greenpeace International Press Desk Hotline +31 (0) 20 7182470
Tommy Crawford, Communications Manager at Greenpeace International, (M) +31 62 700 00 60 
Martin Hojsik, Head of Detox Campaign at Greenpeace International, (M) +421 905 313 395 
For visuals:
The video: www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/toxics/water/People-Power/
For images please contact Greenpeace Picture Desk, Alex Yallop, (M )+31 (0) 624 94 19 65, 
For background video please contact Greenpeace Video Library 
Notes to the Editor:
(1) For more information on the Instagram competition please visit: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/toxics/water/what-you-can-do/star-in-our-next-video/
(2) So far six international brands have committed to Detox. These include:
Puma: http://safe.puma.com/us/en/2011/07/puma-is-committed-to-eliminate-discharges-of-hazardous-chemicals-2/
Nike: http://nikeinc.com/news/nike-inc-commitment-on-zero-discharge-of-hazardous-chemicals
Adidas: http://www.adidas-group.com/en/sustainability/statements/2011/Commitment_to_Zero_Discharge_Aug_2011.aspx
H&M: http://about.hm.com/content/hm/AboutSection/sv/About/Sustainability/Commitments/Use-Resources-Responsibly/Chemicals/Zero-Discharge.html
C&A: http://www.c-and-a.com/uk/en/corporate/fileadmin/templates/master/img/fashion_updates/International_Press_Releases/C-and-A_Commitment_to_Zero_Discharge.pdf
Li-Ning: http://www.li-ning.com/info/info.html?swf=news.swf (If accessing in China). http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/toxics/Water%202011/LiNing-commitment-to-zero-discharge.pdf (if outside of China)
(3) Among the most successful videos created by the Gregory Brothers are the 2010 "Bed intruder Song" (100 million views) and the Charlie Sheen "Winning" song (over 40 million views).
(4) These actions have included petitions and letters to the CEOs of Nike and Adidas, Facebook wall takeovers, video views and shares, setting the record for the world's biggest coordinated striptease (which took place outside brand stores), shop-window "rebranding" and multiple other online and offline activities. For an overview of the campaign and its activities so far visit: www.greenpeace.org/detox
(5) "Instagram is a free photo sharing application that allows users to take a photo, apply a digital filter, and then share it on a variety of social networking services including Instagram's own." (Source Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram)