Swisscom shows where the greenest mine in the world is located

The mining of raw materials causes 75% of all CO2 emissions generated in the manufacture of new smartphones. Yet the metals needed for this, such as copper, silver and gold, are already available in sufficient quantities. And they are available in over eight million old cell phones lying around unused in Swiss drawers, basements and attics.

"With our new circular economy campaign, we are calling on the public to return their old devices in order to bring valuable raw materials back into the cycle and avoid unnecessary CO2 emissions," says Swisscom project manager Stefanie König, explaining the campaign's mission.

Every cellar is a mine

The raw materials in all unused cell phones together form an urban mine. This is the basic idea of the 360-degree campaign, which was conceived by the two creative directors Susen Gehle and Andy Lusti and implemented in close collaboration with Swisscom and Mcqueen Films.

In the opening spot, a teenager and his father search for valuable metals in a dark mine. Suddenly they find themselves in a normal cellar and the audience is humorously shown the treasures that are hidden in their home.

"Many people don't even realize how valuable the raw materials in their old cell phones are for the environment," says creative director Susen Gehle, who is responsible for the project. "Although the amount of metals in a single device is small, all unused devices together, form a huge raw material deposit."

Sustainability set in scene

Swisscom has been committed to sustainable business and the responsible use of resources for years. Accordingly, the images of the spot, which deliberately comes across like a cinema trailer in order to create a maximum element of surprise, are also staged on a large scale. "After the unexpected twist, a light goes on for everyone and they realize how small the contribution is for each individual to achieve great things together," explains Creative Director Andy Lusti about the cinematic appearance.

One of the big challenges was to authentically combine the two worlds of "mine" and "basement" and thus to implement the urban mine in a surprising way. "The team from Mcqueen Films and director Samuel Morris succeeded brilliantly in this," sums up Jürg Brauchli, Creative Director at Swisscom.

The current "Green Mine" campaign can be seen throughout Switzerland. The spot and the three key visuals are played out in various media formats on TV, in cinemas, online, on social media and at POS.

Client: Swisscom Switzerland. Creation & Conception: Andy Lusti, Susen Gehle. Film production: Mcqueen Films. Directed by: Samuel Morris. Sound Design: Remote Sound. Photography: John Diboky. Media: Mediaschneider.