Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation will use a video depicting a child vomiting up plastic to push its anti-plastic agenda to world leaders, including King Charles.
Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation will use a video depicting a child vomiting up plastic to push its anti-plastic agenda to world leaders, including King Charles.
Minderoo will run what it has dubbed a “guerilla-style” marketing campaign at Samoa’s Faleolo International Airport and Fugalei Market as leaders arrive for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting later this week.
The video is part of a push by Minderoo to advocate for a global plastics treaty, with the damage caused by plastics one of the foundation’s core focus areas.
It identified CHOGM as a key focus, because 33 of the Commonwealth nations are “small states”, part of a 42-nation group considered particularly susceptible to plastic pollution impacts.
Minderoo director and former South Australian premier Jay Weatherill said the campaign hoped to drive action ahead of the UN’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting (INC-5) next month.
Treaty negotiations are expected to ramp back up at INC-5.
A screen grab from the marketing material which will run at the meeting in Samoa. Photo: Minderoo
“Our message to delegates attending CHOGM is clear: a global plastics treaty is not a nice to have – it is a need to have,” Mr Weatherill said.
“2.5 billion citizens live in Commonwealth countries, with more than 60 per cent aged 29 or under.
“Our children deserve to have a future where their bodies are not involuntary riddled with dangerous chemicals stemming from plastic.
Mr Weatherill likened the damage of plastics to that of mercury and other toxic chemicals.
“When faced with similar health crises stemming from other chemicals, including mercury, the world has come together and agreed a framework to protect human health,” he said.
“This is the chance for countries to do the same and protect the health of their citizens by agreeing a list of chemicals to be included in the global plastics treaty.”
The Forrests’ philanthropic arm has warned against complacency on plastics, claiming that recycling alone will not be enough to address concerns around their impacts.
The campaign comes days after Mr and Mrs Forrest, who separated last year, announced they would step down as co-chairs of the Minderoo Foundation, to be replaced by Allan Myers.
The pair will remain non-executive directors of the $10 billion foundation.
Mrs Forrest established her own philanthropic organisation, Coaxial Foundation, earlier this year.
Minderoo has recently made headlines for its contributions to aid in the Gaza Strip.