Pasig River, Manila’s main waterway, was transformed into a huge sewer system. In 1990, ecologists considered it “biologically dead”. 

HANA, a personal care brand, harnesses the restorative power of nature in their products. To further magnify this promise, the brand joined the city government’s movement to revive the river. The first water-cleaning billboards were created. Powered entirely by nature, the billboards were designed to float on the river. 

They are made of vetiver – perennial, non-invasive grass that can absorb pollutants in wastewater. The billboards were talked about on social media, and even appeared on national news and international events that champion environmentalism and sustainability, tagged as advertising that helped clean the most polluted river in the country.