TBWALondon Serves Up Plastic 'n' Chips in Fry-tful Stunt

It's bad enough finding a rogue hair in your meal, so imagine tucking into a steaming plate of fish and chips to discover a hulking piece of plastic instead.

That's exactly what happened to unlucky customers at a local chippie in Blackburn, The Chippery, who were left with a bad taste in the mouth after being served battered bottles in place of their national dish.

The fry-tful stunt was part of a campaign created by TBWALondon for UK charity Plastic Oceans, to highlight just how severe the threat to marine life is if the current rate of plastic pollution continues. In fact, research suggests that by 2050, there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Suddenly those battered bottles aren't looking quite so far-fetched... 

Launching across social media with the hashtag #futurefishandchips, the hero film is accompanied by a clip of the public's reactions to the stunt, while the charity’s site provides handy practical tips on how to tackle plastic pollution. 

Currently, over 8 million tonnes of plastic are estimated to enter the ocean each year, a figure that is predicted to increase to over 20 million tonnes by 2030. This poses a significant risk to fish stocks and the existence of ocean life around the world; with fish and other animals also ingesting pieces of plastic, that may in turn reach the mouths of hungry Brits.

“We’re at a significant point with plastic waste reaching our oceans. If we ignore it now, we won’t be able to ignore it in the future. Plastic pollution ends up in the stomachs of fish and other ocean life, which threatens not only the future of fish, but our future too," says Dr Geoff Brighty, technical director at Plastic Oceans UK. "If we continue at this rate, not only will our beloved national dish be a thing of the past, we’ll be facing other catastrophic problems for our planet. But, there are lots of changes we can make to help. The first step is to avoid using plastic, where possible, or opt for recyclable plastic. We must change attitudes towards the ways in which plastic is produced, used and disposed of, if we are to make impactful change.”

“To get people's attention, sometimes you've got to hit them where it hurts. In this case, that was right in the national dish," adds TBWALondon’s CCO, Andy Jex.

To find out more about the Future Fish & Chips campaign or to donate, click here.