Thomas Cook and Marine Conservation Society encourage holidaymakers to reduce, reuse or recycle inflatables

The call follows results of a new survey – commissioned by YourSayPays on behalf of Thomas Cook – which reveals that more than a third (37%) of holidaymakers buy inflatables for their trips in the UK and abroad, but fewer than half of those surveyed (47%) said they would reuse or recycle the inflatable after the holiday.

The discarded inflatables contribute to plastic pollution in the ocean, a major environmental threat with severe consequences for marine wildlife and ecosystems. Ingesting plastics can result in severe suffering and starvation.

As well as encouraging holidaymakers to take action to reduce, reuse or recycle, Thomas Cook and the Marine Conservation Society, the UK’s leading ocean charity, are also calling on hotels to do their bit, with 34% of those surveyed saying they would have recycled their inflatables if hotels had the appropriate facilities.

The campaign, developed by McCann Birmingham, features an orca, a dolphin and a turtle depicted as half deflated inflatables marooned on a beach. It will run across OOH in airports and on social throughout the holiday period.

Ryan Cotton, Marketing Director at Thomas Cook, said, “While we can see just how popular plastic inflatables are when we go on holiday, the environmental impact is significant. We hope that when people see our hard-hitting campaign they’ll think twice before heading to the shops to buy themselves a new lilo and either dig out last year’s or borrow one, so we all do our bit to reduce, reuse or recycle.”

Jennifer Mitchell, Director of Engagement and Communications at the Marine Conservation Society said, “We all have a role to play in protecting the environment, whether that’s at home or on holiday. The stark imagery in this campaign shows how closely our litter and marine life are linked. We're hoping by raising awareness of the environmental impact of abandoned inflatables, we can help reduce the number of them discarded.”

Adam Bodfish, Executive Creative Director at McCann Birmingham said “Chilling out on a lilo is part of the holiday fun, but the impact of abandoned inflatables is often overlooked. Airports are busy places, so we needed to find an original and creative way to really grab the attention of holiday makers and make them think twice before they jet off to the beach.”

The campaign was awarded Campaign UK's 'Ad of the Day', best Outdoor in Lürzer's Archive, LBB 'Work of the Week' and was voted most liked campaign in August in PRWeek.