Celebrating more than a century of milestones

CIWM wanted to celebrate its 125th anniversary with an engaging piece of content that could tell its long and complex history in a concise, appealing way. The challenge was to condense more than a century of milestones into a three-minute piece that would both educate and inspire. The content needed to be evergreen so it could live on beyond the anniversary year, and it had to resonate with members while aligning perfectly with CIWM’s established brand and tone.

CPL One explored several creative concepts and proposed animation as the most effective medium for storytelling. Animation allowed for:

• Seamless blending of stock imagery with custom-designed graphics
• Consistent use of CIWM’s colour palette and brand style
• A clear, engaging narrative structured as a historical timeline.

The team used an editorial feature by Ian Farrell, editor of the CIWM’s membership magazine, Circular, as the script’s foundation. They storyboarded the animation to move from Victorian Britain’s waste challenges through key moments in CIWM’s evolution, ending with a forward-looking perspective. A collage-style design approach gave the animation a distinctive, layered look.
Production was highly collaborative, with designers, editorial staff, animators and videographers working closely at every stage to ensure accuracy, cohesion and creativity.

The Results

The final three-minute animation successfully combined style and substance, delivering CIWM’s story in an engaging, visually distinctive format. Early feedback from members was very positive, highlighting how the animation captured both the institution’s heritage and its future aspirations. The piece has lasting value as an evergreen communication asset that CIWM can use beyond the anniversary year.

Client

• The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management

Sector

• Membership