The Challenge
James Wellbeloved is a natural pet food brand rooted in the British countryside, committed to nourishing pets with simple, honest ingredients. But as climate concerns intensify, the brand recognised a deeper responsibility: to care not just for the animals we love, but the land that feeds them. In the UK, pet ownership is soaring — yet so is concern around sustainability. New research commissioned by James Wellbeloved revealed a startling knowledge gap: while 90% of global topsoil is at risk of degradation by 2050, nearly half of British dog owners had no idea soil health impacts the quality of their dog’s food, and a third didn’t realise food even comes from soil at all. This revealed a cultural blind spot — one the brand felt compelled to address. Enter the Beloved Soil Initiative, a long-term commitment for James Wellbeloved to help farmers adopt regenerative practices and protect the soil our food depends on. But to make people care about something as unseen as soil, we needed to bring it to life in a way that was emotionally resonant and culturally relevant. So we created Ellie — a 15-foot, 5-tonne “mucky pup” sculpture, built entirely from recycled materials, who represented the volume of soil lost every second globally. Placed in central London, Ellie grounded a scientific crisis in something joyful, muddy, and unmistakably British — a symbol designed to spark conversations about sustainability through the lens of pet care. Because for James Wellbeloved, healthy pets begin with healthy soil.
The Solution
"We brought the invisible problem of soil degradation to life through the one thing pet lovers can’t resist — a giant, mucky dog. Ellie, our 5-tonne, 15-foot pup, was designed to represent the staggering amount of soil lost every second around the world. She wasn’t just a sculpture — she was a symbol of our connection to the land, and a playful but powerful reminder that what nourishes our pets begins beneath their paws. Made entirely from recycled materials and zero-emissions processes, Ellie was as sustainable as the soil she stood for. By placing her in central London, outside Somerset House, we broke beyond pet food and sustainability audiences — stopping commuters, dog walkers, and tourists in their tracks. She earned smiles, selfies, and headlines, sparking real curiosity around the Beloved Soil Initiative. Because when it comes to protecting nature, sometimes the best way to make people care is to make them feel. "