DP WORLD | THE MOVE TO -15 | 2024
For 100 Years, Nobody Questioned -18°C / DP WORLD "THE MOVE TO -15"
Frozen shipping containers have been kept at -18°C for 100 years. Nobody ever questioned that number—until DP World asked "why?" By raising it just three degrees, they got an entire industry moving.
The problem
Container shipping delivers food around the world, but it also takes a heavy toll on the environment. Transporting frozen food alone accounts for 5% of the world's energy demand and 2.5% of greenhouse gas emissions. And the -18°C standard behind all of it? It turned out to have no real scientific basis.
The insight
After months of research, a panel of experts found that food stays just as fresh at -15°C, while cutting energy use by 5 to 7%. But if just one company speaks up, the industry won't budge. So from the start, they designed this as a coalition—bringing in competitors not as rivals, but as partners.
The idea
They chose COP28 as the stage to announce it. The research data was shared freely, even with competitors, and Thomas Eskesen, a neutral expert with 40 years in the industry, was brought in to lend credibility. An open letter inviting companies to join, a website featuring video and reports, and outreach through trade media all helped build support.
What happened
60% of the global container shipping industry signed on, with more than 30 companies joining the effort. In the UK, the supermarket chain Morrisons actually changed the temperature at ten stores. Trust in DP World rose by 11%, and Edelman became the first legacy PR firm to win a Titanium Lion at Cannes Lions 2024 for this campaign.
Afterthought
Just by asking "why?", something that hadn't moved in 100 years finally did. An everyday ad request turned into work that changed an entire industry. This is what creativity is for.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2024
Featured in
- One Number, Right in the Middle of the Ad$6.95, £14,650, 18 seconds, 9 days and 6 hours.
