Earth Month 2023: TikTok drives conversations and actions for a sustainable future

As a platform that  brings together communities in MENA and around the world, empowering them to raise sustainability awareness and inspire action, TikTok is celebrated Earth Month this April by empowering them to harness the power of creativity and inspire action on environmental conservation.

Showcasing creators such as @heraf.wa.holoul championing sustainable lifestyle to @pandawaragroup advocating for environmental protection and waste cleanup, TikTok invited the community in MENA and around the world to “Invest In Our Planet” – during April – and make a difference. TikTok also celebrated earth month with trends, conversations and LIVE programming led by creators and organizations dedicated to raising awareness around sustainability.

Throughout Earth Month, communities on TikTok embarked on a collective journey to discover, share, and learn how they can act and have a positive impact on a world facing the most urgent environmental and ecological challenges. It is this passionate community that is at the heart of sharing content and initiatives promoting environmentalism and climate action, along with practical advice on how everyone can get involved.

These include robust dialogues on nature conservation, with popular hashtags such as #nature, #ocean and #climateaction garnering 44 billion, 17 billion, and over 1 billion views respectively in the past year, showing how the TikTok community adores creating content that celebrates, protects, and restores nature through innovative solutions.

Some popular environmental themes that have inspired the TikTok community over the past year include insightful explainers on #climateaction by popular MENA creators such as @salehlzeik, @aliplatform and more, @carmen_hajjar’s impassioned #ZeroWaste plea to use a go-to bag for leftovers, and a heartfelt appeal by @thegoodnewsms to say no to plastic and contribute to a greener future in the run up to COP28. The landmark climate summit, to be hosted by the UAE this November, is also a key driver of conversations as communities seek to understand the pathways to a zero carbon world.

In terms of sustainable living and responsible consumption, TikTok hosts some of the most impactful hashtags such as #vegan (12 billion views), #thrifting (4 billion+ views), and #sustainablity (3 billion+ views), where creators showcase their expertise and skills. These can range from DIY tutorials on upcycling home furniture to communities advocating for natural and self-sufficient lifestyles.

Such authentic advocacy is apparent in creators such as @natty.cooks and @azlife.ae, whose #Leftoverrecipe calls for people to reduce food waste by sharing tips and tricks essentially helps create new meals through extra servings and protects the environment in the process.

Trust and authenticity are also at the heart of creativity at TikTok, which helps amplify informed climate discussions on the platform. On April 21, TikTok ramped up enforcement of a new climate change misinformation policy which removes climate change misinformation that undermines well-established scientific consensus. To further build the community's resilience to misinformation, TikTok partnered with the UN to build a new search feature that directs users who seek climate change-related content towards authoritative information. 

In addition, Earth Month LIVE! is a special feature that took place throughout the month where users were able to tune in to @TikTokLIVE_MENA and connect with creators from various backgrounds who share sustainable lifestyle hacks. The community were also able to join them to support non-profit organizations dedicated to sustainability and conservation efforts.

Thanks to these initiatives during Earth Month, creators and organizations across the region are now better equipped to take immediate action on sustainability and help make the planet an even better place.