Climate activist Greta Thunberg has come quite accustomed to calling out global leaders – from the US president down – if she thinks they’re slacking off on climate change.
Last month, the 18-year-old even had the temerity to slam New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern for “not doing anything” to bring down the nation’s emissions.
However, Kiwi pizza chain Hell Pizza – which boasts 75 outlets nationally – saw Thunberg’s rebuke as the perfect opportunity to flog more of its meat lovers and pepperoni.
And it did it in a rather left-of-centre way. The company buying-up outdoor space in Thunberg’s home city of Stockholm with posters that read: “Greta can go to Hell. For 100% carbon neutral pizza deliveries in New Zealand.”
Get it? Go to Hell Pizza ensures all its deliveries are carbon neutral. The company said it offers 100 per cent carbon neutral deliveries by offsetting its more than one million deliveries every year through “carbon credits used for the regeneration and conservation of native forests”.
Coincidentally, the stunt follows news on B&T today of research that has found 55 per cent of consumers are confused by the claims brands make about their environmental credentials. You can read the report here.
On the stunt, a spokesperson for Hell Pizza said: “We agree there’s been a lot of blah blah blah about tackling global warming.
“That’s why we put up these ads in Greta’s hometown of Stockholm, to let her know all our deliveries are carbon neutral. We hope she can visit us in HELL soon!”
Thunberg has not publicly commented on the stunt. However, lots of social media users did.
“Absolutely brilliant piece of marketing,” said one fan.
Another added: “Haha a lot of people are missing the point. Hell is carbon neutral which means Greta could LITERALLY go to Hell….. pizza.”
While others thought the stunt missed the mark. “Poor taste Hell Pizza,” they wrote. “I get that you are supporting her, kinda. But you are certainly buying likes from the climate deniers as well. You should ditch this campaign ASAP.”
Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Hell Pizza CEO Ben Cumming said: “Looking to the future, we want our 75 stores to be even more clean and green.
“This includes a national electric fleet of delivery vehicles, renewable energy within stores, and sourcing more than 95 per cent of food and materials within Aotearoa (the Māori name for New Zealand).
“We hope our story might inspire other businesses to think about their impact on the planet, and we’d love to show Greta what Kiwi businesses are already doing to make the world a better place,” Cumming said.
In a recent interview with The Guardian , Thunberg said: “It’s funny that people believe Jacinda Ardern and people like that are climate leaders. That just tells you how little people know about the climate crisis.”
