Jurassic World's Sustainable Merchandise Takes Movie Souvenirs to the Next Level
May 26, 2022
by Kathryn Lundstrom
The studios worked with global marketplace Accompany on a line of fair-trade products
Historically speaking, themed merchandise has not been good to the planet.
Whether it’s all the champions-themed merch produced for the team that doesn’t win the Super Bowl, the constant churn of fast fashion or any of the other items that capitalism’s endless hunger for stuff has thrust into our homes, it all ends up somewhere—usually in a landfills, and usually in communities or countries poorer than the one where it was sold.
For a new line of merchandise tied to Jurassic World Dominion, which hits theaters June 10, Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainmentaim to do better. The studios worked with fair trade and sustainable ecommerce platform Accompany, commissioning artisans in India andNepal to create the collection that includes homewares and accessories for dinosaur fans of all ages.
“ We see a huge opportunity to make a positive social impact on disempowered communities and nonprofits worldwide through mission-driven merchandising,” Jason Keehn, founder of Accompany, said in a statement.
Accompany Creative, the company’s sister agency, put together the promotional campaign for the line of merchandise. The package includes a spot featuring the iconic rippling water in a cup and stars some of the artists who crafted the items.
Jurassic World x Accompany
Rather than the plastics and bright colors consumers are used to seeing in branded merch, the Jurassic World x Accompany collection includes things like blankets and towels printed and dyed using natural pigments and traditional methods, and hand-crafted wood dishes shaped like dinosaur footprints.
In addition to Accompany’s ecommerce platform, the collection will be available in Ten Thousand Villages retail stores. The shop will run paid social ads for the product line on Facebook and Instagram and regional radio on NPR in several markets including Los Angeles, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
Still, Accompany and Jurassic World are far from the first modeling a better way to do themed or branded merchandise. Companies likeBrandelity, Tiger Global and Chicobag offer promo products that are recycled or more sustainable than their traditional counterparts. But with more plastic and other waste streaming into the oceans, landfills and, ultimately, our bodies each year, there’s more work to be done.
“By harnessing the powerful pull of an entertainment property like the Jurassic World franchise, and connecting it to the demand for purposeful artisan goods in the home décor, fashion and gifting categories, we believe we can spark a new, meaningful era in licensed consumer goods,” Keehn said.