A new spot from Ikea Canada featuring a series of miniature planets shows how little sustainable actions in our own homes can help change the world for the better.

The ad depicts people living on their own individual little planets floating in sky, carrying out small actions like recycling, riding a bike and watering plants in their home -- as well as highlighting products like Ikea's renewable cotton duvet. The tagline is "a better world starts at home" and Ikea says the spot reflects the fact that during the pandemic, as we've all retreated into our own homes, "our little worlds become our entire worlds."

The film was created by Rethink and directed by Scouts Honour director Mark Zibert (known for his work on the SickKids Foundation). It was shot in Toronto on a soundstage over three days and required extensive CGI animation by LA-based visual effects house A52. 

"The entire 'world' in which the film takes place is created in post while all live action was shot in-camera,” said Joel Holtby, partner, head of art & creative director at Rethink. “This required us to create different sized dome structures as stages and set-decorate by bolting furniture down to the structures, all while using live lighting and wind to bring realism to the environments on each tiny planet."

The spot will air nationally in Canada, as well as in Serbia, Romania, and Croatia, with the campaign supported by online video, digital out-of-home, social, and digital units that showcase sustainable Ikea products on their own little worlds.

The work continues the retailer's ongoing focus on small sustainable actions, which has also included upcycling its own used furniture, creating a cookbook based on food scraps and several ads reminding people about food waste.