To sensitise people about the consequences of growing plastic pollution, popular wildlife magazine Nat Geo came up with a brilliant cover showing a plastic bag floating in the ocean resembling an iceberg indicating its just the tip that we see. The magazine issued for 2018’s June edition conveyed a strong message as how humans are hell-bent on destroying marine life by dumping all the plastic waste in the ocean.
However, irony soon found a way after a social media user pointed out that the issue about the plastic pollution in ocean came wrapped in a plastic cover.
Humanity in a nutshell, the @NatGeo magazine about ocean plastic pollution comes wrapped in a plastic bag inside another plastic bag. Photo Roger Bassetto. pic.twitter.com/m0HUzkDuqW
— Luiz Rocha (@CoralReefFish) June 10, 2018
NAT Geo quickly noticed the tweet and came up with a clarification.
Appreciate your concern! The US, UK, and India editions have switched to paper wrapping and the rest of our global editions are on course to follow suit.
— National Geographic (@NatGeo) June 11, 2018
Soon other twitter users joined in:
While some pointed out where the problem actually lies.
Mine, in the UK, came in plastic, but this is certainly representative of the problem. How do we go from intellectual awareness to actually doing things differently?
— Martyn Steiner ___ (@martynsteiner) June 11, 2018
Others were clearly displeased with the magazine’s blunder
This is sickening. If @NatGeo can’t get this one simple thing right, what hope is there for any other company
— The Oceanides (@TheOceanides) June 12, 2018
Cannot even #WalkTheTalk pic.twitter.com/iEvyOZZTGh
— Taitamco Muddy Sands (@Taitamco) June 12, 2018
Well that’s a little embarrassing isn’t it. Have a word with your Environmental Management and Corporate Responsibility teams __#YouHadOneJob #NotHard #EggyFace
— Rick Sykes (@mrhallorann) June 11, 2018
Others had a word of advice for the mag
I love your magazine and your work. But this should and could have been planned well in advance. Why dont you ensure that all packages from now onwards have no plastic. Would be appreciated by all! Go Green! 🙂
— Scherry Siganporia (@Scherry_Sc) June 12, 2018
The magazine’s faux pas was reminiscent of the recent meeting of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis who along with his ministers was chairing a meet on world environment discussing the measures to end the plastic pollution while having plastic bottles right in front of them.
