The 1975 Sell Branded Water Bottles to Benefit Climate Activism

By Brendan Menapace

British indie rockers The 1975 have proved themselves to be one of the most eco-friendly bands in the game. A few months back they decided to limit apparel waste by letting fans print over old band merch with updated graphics, rather than shell out the money for new ones and use more resources to meet demand.

Now they're going a route that plenty of other bands have taken, offering reusable water bottles as concert merch, but are taking it a step further by donating 100 percent of the proceeds of water bottle sales to environmental action programs. Usually the venues take a portion of that money.

Here's the band's manager explaining the campaign on Twitter:

We are going to be selling these at the UK shows. They are to help raise money for all the environmental stuff we are doing on the tour. 100% of this money is going to this initiative, the venues have agreed to not take the usual cuts they take on merch....

— Jamie Oborne (@jamieoborne) February 15, 2020

**yes we know that’s a bit extra but this is not something I can control on this occasion. So..... if you want to get one go to the merchandise area AFTER the show and don’t hang around as I think they will sell pretty quick.

— Jamie Oborne (@jamieoborne) February 15, 2020

Single-use bans aside, having a reusable water bottle is a good idea for everyone to limit waste and serves as a great incentive to drink more water. Fans of The 1975 can use this not only to broadcast their love of the band, but also display that they're actively doing something to make a difference in the world, even through buying concert merchandise.

Also, the band is putting up what it calls a "reverb eco village" at each concert venue where fans can learn about climate change initiatives and changes they can make in their own lives to make a positive difference.

For the 1975 to attach a universally good incentive to merchandise sales is a great idea for the band and the planet. Their name will get out there even more, and people will associate it with environmental action. Also, big tip of the cap to the venues for agreeing to all of the merchandise proceeds actually going to the cause rather than their pockets. That's a pretty rare thing these days.