Heart-Wrenching Print Ads Show Marine Creatures Choking From Plastic Usage

Those seemingly inconsequential bottles people go through daily have enduring repercussions for the ecosystem. A new campaign by the Times of India paper poignantly conveys how humanity’s overreliance on single-use plastics is killing marine animals, in hopes of encouraging more mindful habits.

Created to mark World Environment Day, and running in tandem with the United Nations’ focus on fighting the plastic waste problem this year, a trio of posters reimagines a seal, penguin, and turtle as bottles, with human hands twisting their necks as though they were lids.

The imagery powerfully illustrates litter as choking hazards. The creatures look pained in the hands of the plastic users, and they can only helplessly surrender to their fates.

According to the newspaper, plastic waste generation in India doubled from 2015–2016 to 2019–2020. “Of this plastic waste, 50% remains unutilized,” it continues.

Under its humanitarian initiative The Times of a Better India, the media outlet is urging the public to join its 21-day challenge, called Unplastic India, in which participants go plastic-free for three whole weeks to hopefully wean off single-use items “for a better tomorrow.”

The campaign brings 21 no-plastic tips for the 21 days. These include avoiding pre-packaged produce when shopping at the supermarket, and to refrain from fully cutting off the edges of milk cartons “to keep the packet intact for disposal.”

[via The Times of India]