Expecting Generation One
4 minute read
If you could write a letter to your unborn child, what would you say? This is the starting point for our Expecting Generation One campaign – our letter to the first generation who will live in an emissions-free world.
Mothers and fathers bringing children into the world in the coming years will have to do so in a brave new world. Here at Hyundai, we’re in progress to achieve net-zero carbon emissions throughout our entire value chain by 2045
so that we can build an emissions-free world for the next generation.
Our Expecting Generation One film is all about hope. It’s about our hope, and our commitment, for building a greener world which will sustain life well into the future.
Anticipating the arrival of
Generation One
Fundamentally, our film is about humanity and life. The film shows mothers and grandmothers across the world who are expecting their future children and grandchildren and showcases their heartfelt wishes for this generation. Through their stories we want to celebrate the possibility of welcoming a generation who will breathe clean air and live in an emissions-free world.
In the voiceover, you can hear the voices of real women, saying things like “I expect you to let them breathe.” The “you” here refers to Hyundai, but it also applies to every single one of us. We all have to do our part to realize our dreams of building a sustainable future for the future generation and for ourselves.
As ambassadors for Generation One, we want to give all mothers-to-be who are bringing the next generation to the world, a voice. With this film’s emotional and grounded storytelling, we celebrate parents- and grandparents-to-be all over the world and allow them to voice their expectations for the future. We also celebrate mothers from the animal kingdom, who do not otherwise have a voice. Hyundai is listening to, and amplifying, all of their voices.
We are all Expecting Generation One, the first generation that will live carbon neutral by our efforts against climate change.
Celebrating mothers from all species
To emphasize the fact that we have all species at the core of our sustainability vision, our Expecting Generation One film celebrates mothers from the animal world as well. Their Generation One offspring will also benefit from being the first generation to live in an era of carbon neutrality.
In the film, we follow a whale mother and highlight her maternal love. She appears when we talk about the pollution in our seas. And as the film builds she gives birth to a baby whale. In the final scene, the mother, and her baby, swim peacefully together across the open sea.
We decided to tell the story of a whale mother, because whales are so-called carbon-scavenger giants. In fact, one large whale absorbs an average of 33 tons of carbon dioxide in its lifetime! And, when a whale dies, it sinks to the bottom of the ocean, it traps the carbon it has absorbed and holds it for hundreds of years. Not only do they trap carbon dioxide, but they also help phytoplankton to grow, which plays a major role in oxygenating the Earth’s atmosphere.
Another animal which takes center stage in the film is a penguin. The survival of these globally beloved penguins is being threatened by climate change and if current levels of carbon emissions continue to persist, some species of penguins will likely become extinct by the end of the century. It is only through committing to building a sustainable future that we can preserve the next generation of penguins and restore our oceans for all forms of life.
The whole film is brought together with the sound of a mother humming a lullaby. We all know the sound of our mother’s lullaby and this sound can feel make us all feel like we’re in the safest place on Earth. We follow the mothers while they wait for their babies and while they all hum the same recognizable melody. It’s this humming that acts as a thread that links them to their future child and the future of our planet.
We hope to inspire every one of us to keep “Generation One” in our hearts and minds, in everything we do. So, we have joined hands with the BBC to spread our message even further.
This November, we are the exclusive sponsor of ‘Memories of the Future 2045’ – a series of six short films and a half hour documentary produced by the BBC Studios’ science unit. This new series will be broadcast on BBC World News and bbc.com.
Collaborating with global media platforms like the BBC allows us to advance our Progress for Humanity vision and help further the collective understanding that we – people, brands and businesses - all have a responsibility to act. THOMAS SCHEMERA - EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND GLOBAL CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER AT HYUNDAI MOTOR
Narrated by award-winning singer-songwriter and musician KT Tunstall, ‘Memories of Future 2045’ takes a deep dive into the solutions needed for creating a healthier planet. The program also features the voices of global sustainability leaders who talk about everything from the future of energy to housing, food, aviation, cities, and fashion.
Complementing this docuseries and airing alongside each of the 6 episodes will be a 30 second brand film created by BBC Storyworks and narrated by BTS member RM. In this film, which features Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, we invite everyone to follow our lead and act against climate change for the betterment of society and a future fit for Generation One.
We’re committed to building a world fit for Generation One and will continue our progress to become carbon neutral until we realize a world that is truly sustainable and livable for all. But, to make this new vision a reality, we all need to work together. If you’re interested in finding out more about Hyundai’s roadmap to carbon neutrality, you can find more information, here
.
Follow Hyundai’s Instagram(@hyundai
) to discover the many ways that we’re building a sustainable future for Generation One.
