AUCKLAND, Today: Playing a key role at the ASB classic is a biodegradable tennis ball that can plant a New Zealand native tree –a project titled Sustainable, created by ASB in conjunction with Auckland agency WiTH Collective linked by Isobar.
While a normal tennis ball can take several hundred years to break down, the ASB Sustainaball has been designed to break down in fewer than 10 years.
ASB head of community and sponsorship Mark Graham said: “Our research shows that every year approximately 325 million tennis balls are produced, which contributes roughly 20,000 tonnes of waste in the form of rubber that is not easily biodegradable.
“We’ve all lost tennis balls at some point in our lives – whether that be playing backyard cricket, tennis, or throwing a ball for the dog – but we wanted to help limit the impact those lost balls have on the environment by creating something that was more sustainable, and might help regenerate our New Zealand native forests at the same time.”
ASB’s Sustainaball was designed in conjunction with Queenstown based 4Design who also developed ASB’s innovative digital money box Clever Kash. The design was then manufactured by a UK-based family-run tennis ball company.
“All strategy, ideation, and production was carried out by the WiTH team in NZ.”
Each ball is made up of 100% wool, 95% natural rubber and contains seeds from one of several native plant species in a water-soluble sticker, which can germinate under the right conditions as the ball biodegrades.
WiTH Collective NZ GM John Marshall,said: “Conversations around sustainability, the environment, and the planet’s future, can sometimes leave people feeling a little overwhelmed. The Sustainaball was created to encourage people to think about the little things that can be done to make a difference.”
WiTH CDs Jack Delmonte & Hadleigh Sinclair said: “The team at WiTH are all highly skilled backyard cricketers, but we shuddered when we thought about how many tennis balls we’ve lost throughout the years.
“We wanted to raise awareness around the small things New Zealanders can do everyday to be more sustainable, and we thought optimising our ASB Classic sponsorship was a really fun and interesting way to start that conversation.”
Delmonte & Sinclair are based in Sydney as part of the WiTH Australasia team – but all strategy, ideation, and production was carried out by the WiTH team in NZ
CREDITS
Client: ASB
ASB General Manager Marketing: Shane Evans
ASB Sponsorship Manager Brand: Jonathan Rea
ASB Head of Community and Sponsorship: Mark Graham
Social Media Specialist: Jasmine Taggart
Brand Manager: Bianca Osborne
Assistant Brand Manager: Madeline Biddulph-Wall
Agency: WiTH Collective linked by Isobar Sydney & Auckland
General Manager: John Marshall
Creative Directors: Jack Delmonte, Hadleigh Sinclair (Sydney)
Senior Creative Team: Vikki Cheng, Jacqui Barry
Head of Production: Iain Stronach Parkes Todd
Producer: Tom Pearce
Head of Strategy: Claire Beatson
Senior Strategist: Jolene D’Souza
Senior Account Manager: Kate Syms
Media Agency: Carat
Client Partner: Jono Sorensen
Business Manager: Tasmin Bradley
Production: Triple Double
Director: Andy Morton
Producer: Peter Clews
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