Unilever

Rethink Recycling: Rinse. Recycle. Reimagine. Campaign

Leadership In Action

Overview:

Unilever’s “Rinse. Recycle. Reimagine.” campaign was a national call to action encouraging Americans to rethink their bathroom recycling habits. Originally launched in partnership with Keep America Beautiful and the Ad Council, the campaign addressed a key sustainability gap: while many people recycle kitchen products, only a third recycle from the bathroom — leading to 18,000 tons of plastic ending up in landfills every year. Through education, creative storytelling and strategic influencer partnerships, the campaign inspired simple, sustainable change with the message: “Leave No Bottle Behind.”

Strategic Approach:

The campaign leveraged an integrated approach to spark awareness and action:

  • Insight-Driven Messaging: Research revealed that nearly half of consumers recycle kitchen items, but far fewer recycle bathroom plastics. Unilever created the Unilever Recycling Index to spotlight this behavior gap and educate consumers.

  • Influencer Creativity at Scale: Superstar Vine creator Zach King was tapped to develop magical, looping videos that reimagined empty Unilever bottles transforming into new products — from a toy rocket to a new hairbrush. These videos showcased the recycling process in a way that felt fun, visual and highly shareable.

  • Responsive Content Activation: In a unique move, King and the campaign team created custom Vines using the hashtag #ReimagineThat, sparking deeper engagement.

  • Social-First Storytelling: The campaign leaned into beauty, lifestyle and sustainability verticals across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to meet consumers where they were and drive home the “beauty empties” trend.

  • Partnerships with Purpose: Unilever collaborated with Keep America Beautiful and Recyclebank to lend credibility and expand reach into environmentally minded communities.

Key Results:

721M+ total impressions across owned, earned and paid media:

  • 13M+ video loops and 232K+ likes across Vine and social media

  • 1.8M+ social engagements on Twitter and Facebook

  • 6,000+ shares of Zach King’s Vine on Twitter

  • 950+ pieces of user-generated content from consumers and influencers participating in the beauty empties trend

  • 7.43% average engagement rate on amplified influencer and brand tweets

  • 46% increase in Instagram followers

  • Recognized as a top 10 branded Vine on Econsultancy and featured in Vine’s Art section

  • 2016 PR News’ CSR Awards for Green PR Campaign

  • Mashies Award finalist for Best Use of Vine

Individual Contributions:

  • Supported day-to-day client engagement and cross-functional collaboration across internal teams and external agency partners to help drive a cohesive, social-first campaign.

  • Contributed to concept development, content planning, influencer strategy and organic social execution.

  • Managed the social-focused budget and invoicing in partnership with the Weber Shandwick finance team.

  • Provided ongoing mentorship to junior team members, supporting their growth in social strategy, content development and client service.

“Unilever is taking a major stance on recycling.”

“The new, socially driven campaign gives voice to the neglected product, putting picket signs in their hands to demand recycling equality.”

“With a social-first mentality and a clever insertion of the Unilever brand, news was strategically seeded among brand fans, select influencers and top-tier media—each opportunity driving awareness for the company and its commitment to building a sustainable, bright future.”

“Rinse. Recycle. Reimagine.” will feature socially driven content aimed at educating Americans on how, through recycling, empty bath and beauty bottles can fuel the development of recycled packaging for new bathroom products, or take on new life to return as hairbrushes, backpacks, or even backyard play sets.”

  • "The average American household has eight products in plastic bottles in their bathroom. If we’re able to inspire those millions of people to recycle their empty body wash or lotion bottles, this small action can bring about transformational change."

    Gina Boswell, Executive Vice President of Personal Care, Unilever North Americ

  • "Bathroom recycling is a simple, yet often overlooked act. Together with Unilever and the Ad Council, we hope to help turn bathroom recycling into a daily norm."

    Jennifer Jehn, President and CEO, Keep America Beautiful

  • "Recycling is an issue that affects us all, and using social media as our main platform allows us to make sure our message is consistently engaging and reaches the maximum amount of people."

    Lauren Harper, Director of Sustainable Living and Unilever Brand