Plastic-Free July: 10 Inspiring Eco-Friendly Influencers in Southeast Asia [2022]
Influencer marketing in Southeast Asia isn't restricted to fashion brands alone. Government and NGO programmes like #WeGotThis and #ClimateActionSG recruit eco-friendly influencers to get the word out about pressing environmental issues.
It has prompted many sustainable businesses in Southeast Asia to collaborate with eco-influencers and encourage consumers to introspect their buying behaviours. In doing so, many businesses focus on building long-term relationships instead of one-off arrangements with influencers to convey the right message to the consumers.
Data-driven influencer marketing solutions like affable.ai help identify the right influencers and support establishing lasting brand-influencer relationships by managing campaigns.
Let's learn about how the top eco-friendly influencers in southeast Asia are building a sustainable future.
Southeast Asia's Top Eco-Conscious Influencers
1. @drchristinadean (Instagram: 6.6K followers)
(Image courtesy: Dean's Instagram page)
Christina Dean is a top eco-fashion influencer based in Hong Kong who promotes sustainable clothing habits.
In one of her Instagram posts, Dean said, "the fashion industry contributes around 10% of global CO2. It's a chilling price to pay for a packed closet."
So, she founded the R Collective store and the Redress NGO to reduce textile waste in fashion industries. Her store presents a line of eco-friendly clothing designed by award-winning eco-conscious designers.
In 2017, she collaborated with the Spanish apparel brand ZARA to organise a fashion drive to recycle unwanted clothes. Being a nano eco-influencer, she talks about sustainable fashion, waste-free clothing, redesigning, etc. and promotes brands like Traid, Bee and Sons, #TOGETHERBRAND, and Bottletop to help her followers practise slow fashion.
British Vogue and Tatler Asia have recognised Dean as a thought leader for devoting 15 years to promoting sustainability in the fashion industry.
2. @byebyeplasticbags by MELATI & ISABEL WIJSEN (Instagram: 59.1K followers)
(Image courtesy: Melati's Instagram page)
Melati and Isabel Wijsen, two Indonesian sisters, work towards building a plastic-free planet. Inspired by leaders like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, they did a hunger strike at the ages of 10 and 12 to get the government to ban single-use plastic in Bali.
After their victory, the young eco-conscious influencers started travelling the world, giving TED Talks and spreading awareness about plastic pollution.
The Wijsen sisters promote eco-friendly stores and brands like Heidi Bassett Blair, Levi's, Acer Indonesia, and Indosole on their social media channels to encourage others to reduce plastic waste. They also founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags and Youthtopia to give voice to young environmental activists and content creators.
"If we could meet with world leaders and speak to them, we would tell them to listen more to the youth, consider us as more than just inspiration. We have bright innovative ideas of how to deal with some of the greatest issues of our time", says Melati Wijsen in an interview with CNN travel.
3. @sammthian (Instagram: 4.2K followers)
(Image courtesy: Thian's Instagram page)
Samatha Thian embarked on the marine conservation mission while scuba diving. She witnessed how plastic disturbs marine life. Thian founded the Seastainable Co., a social business that provides metal straws in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
To reduce the amount of plastic being washed into oceans, she and her community clean beaches regularly. She also founded the Stride app to help consumers track and reduce their plastic consumption.
Thian is a nano eco-conscious influencer that collaborates with brands like The Body Shop Singapore, Sothys, Re -, NooTrees and many more eco-friendly brands in Singapore to promote plastic-free living.
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4. @yumikahoskin (Instagram: 45.3K followers)
living folks. (Image courtesy: Hoskin's Instagram page)
Based in Singapore, Yumika Hoskin is an actress, TV host, entrepreneur and a greenfluencer who launched Peco Bag, made from discarded materials like plastic bottles, to eliminate single-use plastic. "It's fascinating to use an item that is made from natural resources and is not harmful to the environment, and it's also fun to share about their origins! I have dental floss made from corn and beeswax, and I have natural crystal deodorant made from potassium aluminium sulfate, a mineral salt", said Hoskin in an interview with Fullerton Hotels about using green alternatives.
"It's fascinating to use an item that is made from natural resources and is not harmful to the environment, and it's also fun to share about their origins! I have dental floss made from corn and beeswax, and I have natural crystal deodorant made from potassium aluminium sulfate, a mineral salt", said Hoskin in an interview with Fullerton Hotels about using green alternatives.
While advocating for environmental issues on social media channels, mainly Instagram, she launched a digital eco series, Where We Wander, to make people aware of the sustainability efforts of a specific region.
In her social media posts, she actively mentions eco-friendly brands she loves using, including Seastainable co., Strathberry, CLOSET Singapore, STOJO, FinalStraw, Blueland, Tushy Bidet, etc.
5. @eartheroproject by Bertha Shum (Instagram: 10.9K followers)
(Image courtesy: Shum's Instagram page)
Bertha Shum started the Earthero Project blog back in 2018 to achieve her mission of building a sustainable future. Her content teaches people to live a conscious life and be more aware of the waste they're producing.
Later, she founded the Earthero Project Creative Solutions Limited to help brands switch to greener solutions by making small product changes.
Shum believes that businesses can take up environmentally friendly initiatives to bring more remarkable change, which is why she endorses sustainable brands, including Elate Beauty, CHOMP App, Bathe To Basics, and Nimble Activewear, to help them gain visibility in the industry.
Her quest made her launch a fashion line, Wear Earthero, to create slow fashion for eco-conscious consumers.
6. @iamjiaen (Instagram: 118K followers)
(Image courtesy: Jia En's Instagram page)
Tiong Jia En is considered a cycling and pilates guru by her followers, who love her fitness routines and workout videos. She creates fitness content to empower women and give them strength. Through her content, she has won the hearts of more than 300 followers on TikTok.
Besides fitness, Jia En is passionate about green living. Being one of the known eco-friendly influencers, she creates content on a waste-free lifestyle like reducing single-use plastic, choosing reusable products, and eating healthy.
She helps brands promote their green initiatives by endorsing their products to her followers. Her brand mentions include Grab's Green Programme, Zalora Singapore, Watsons, and MONTiGO.
7. @heymelissatan (Facebook: 3K followers)
(Image courtesy: Tan's Instagram page)
Melissa Tan believes that for change to happen, it has to start with us. In doing so, she actively creates content on social media platforms to educate people about sustainable fashion.
"There has been so much focus on consumer responsibility when it comes to fashion, but not so much the companies. We need brands themselves to provide a better solution towards becoming a more sustainable industry", said Tan in the Prestige 40 under 40 feature.
The main goal of this Malaysia-based eco-conscious influencer is to eradicate greenwashing, a practice adopted by fashion and other brands to show their environmental impact without giving concrete information.
Tan's social media feed contains tips and tricks for veganism, waste-free living, and a plant-based lifestyle. To help her audience use sustainable products, she promotes brands like L'occitane Malaysia, The Botanist, Comfort Zone Sublime Skin, Planterchin, and Outcast Coffee.
Read how L'Occitane uses affable.ai to run effective influencer campaigns.
8. @bamboostrawgirl (Facebook: 1.2K followers)
(Image courtesy: Lam's Instagram page)
Popularly known as the Bamboo Straw Girl, Melissa Lam has been living a waste-free life since 2013 after returning from a camping trip. She decided to take action against plastic straw pollution and founded her business – Bamboo Straw Girl. Her company provides waste-reducing products like bamboo straws, reusable water bottles and more.
Based in Singapore, this eco-friendly influencer promotes sustainable living through workshops, consulting, and brand collaborations. She has endorsed products for brands like FoodPanda Singapore, The Body Shop Singapore, etc.
Her content includes DIY tips to reduce waste, eco-friendly products to replace plastics, and more under hashtags #wasteaudit, #nomoreplastic, and #plasticfreejuly.
According to Green Is The New Black, a Singapore-based media website promoting conscious living, Lam has prevented using more than 3 million plastic straws and other items with reusable ones by encouraging stores and consumers to use them.
9. @gloriayu (YouTube: 2.46K subscribers)
(Image courtesy: Yu's Instagram page)
Gloria Yu is a Hong Kong-based designer, entrepreneur and sustainability advocate prompting waste-free fashion. Through her company Yunotme she sells environment-friendly headpieces and clothing crafted by local women artisans.
She is also the brand manager of Luxarity, an initiative launched by the Lane Crawford Joyce group on social impact. Further, to educate the consumers in Hong Kong about going plastic free and living a sustainable life, she creates YouTube videos to engage her subscribers. Her content mostly features product reviews and zero-waste product swaps like reusable coffee mugs, silicone products, sustainable clothing, and more.
She has worked with Allbirds, Frank Green, STOJO, Keepcup, The Giving Movement, GreenGeeks and others.
10. @thecharlottemei (YouTube: 1.55K subscribers)
(Image courtesy: Mei's Instagram page)
Charlotte Mei is a French Singaporean nutritionist, host, and sustainable food influencer on YouTube and Instagram who talks about living a green life by conscious eating.
She is on a mission to get people back into the kitchen and interested in what they eat by sharing healthy eating tips and hacks on her YouTube channel. It also includes nutritious diets, intermittent fasting, and more.
Mei also partnered with Marina Bay Sands Singapore and Grand Hyatt Singapore to showcase their eco-friendly efforts to her followers. She has worked with Pukka Herbs, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Earthkind, Entier, OLIO, and many other brands to inform her audience about green alternatives.
Wrapping Up
Many brands face a challenge in differentiating between authentic and fake influencers. You might likely be facing a similar issue of identifying the right eco-influencers. Influencer marketing platforms like affable.ai can help you pick the right influencer with real followers and engagement. The platform gives insights into each creator's profile, and lets brands know which influencers have fake followers or post suspicious content.
Learn more about how affable.ai can help your brand. Get a free trial!
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