As more companies take a stand against single-use plastic straws and cups, at-home beverage device maker SodaStream is highlighting the threat that disposable plastic bottles present with the launch of its “Drowning Liberty” installation at New York City’s Flatiron Plaza.
Created in partnership with the Oceanic Society, the installation is a 20-foot replica of the Statue of Liberty, “drowning” inside a steel cage that is filled with plastic bottles. The art installation will make its way to other locations, and it is designed to make people aware of the high rates of plastic pollution around the world.
SodaStream, which is in the process of being acquired by PepsiCo, is supplementing the campaign by creating a limited edition “Be the Change” bottle featuring drawings of Earth. It fits into its home carbonated beverage making machine and reminds users to love the world, reduce their ecological footprint and reuse.
Additionally, both partners created a sustainability pledge for people to sign, which commits them to switch to reusable bottles and reducing their plastic pollution. Free “Be the Change” bottles will be given to the first 10,000 people who take the pledge, and a percentage of SodaStream.com sales during the event will be donated to the Oceanic Society.
“SodaStream stands up for what’s right and will always tell the truth,” said SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum in an announcement. “We’ve launched our pledge as a rallying cry. Together, we will liberate America from plastic straws, bags, cups and of course single-use plastic bottles—to significantly reduce the global plastic pollution epidemic.”
Drowning Liberty will be on display in New York City until September 5 before traveling to additional cities across the US.
SodaStream is in good company with its call to reduce plastic waste. Coca-Cola launched a similar sustainability campaign by releasing specially microchipped reusable bottles for its Freestyle dispensers. Meanwhile, its “World Without Waste” initiative aims to collect or recycle one bottle or can for each one sold by 2030. McDonald’s is also partnered with Starbucks in July to find alternatives to disposable plastic cups.
