Environmental protection is trendy – as is social media. The Carinthian Felix Krainer went viral internationally and is doing good business.
If Felix Krainer (22) When he talks about his environmental protection project, he beams from ear to ear. No wonder, because with the initiative Planet Matters The Carinthian native is quite successful and reaches millions of people all over the world. Krainer primarily mobilizes for environmental protection on social media: he has over three million followers on the video platform TikTok alone. This puts Planet Matters well ahead of large environmental NGOs such as Greenpeace or Global 2000 in terms of social media reach.
In so-called “clean-ups,” Krainer and his colleagues clean the area TikTok-Community entire beaches of rubbish left carelessly by others or washed ashore by the sea. The difference to the “hallway cleaning campaigns” of various communities and clubs that have long been known in this country: Krainer allows himself to be filmed collecting garbage, cuts the recordings and sets them with motivating music. And then they go viral. Krainer runs a modern hallway cleaning service. For him, it’s not just about making the world a clean place, but also about making money.
Worldwide known
This obviously motivates others to also collect garbage. “We now receive videos showing people collecting garbage from all over the world – whether from North America or Australia,” says Krainer in an interview with KURIER. But Krainer himself also travels around the world: most recently he was in Albania, for example. The KURIER reached him for a video interview in Bali.
But isn’t it a contradiction to work for climate protection on the one hand and to travel around the world by plane on the other? Criticism that Krainer can understand to a certain extent, but he doesn’t share it. “I think my carbon footprint would be even worse if I didn’t travel around the world. Because my flights make it possible to motivate millions of people to collect plastic,” argues the Carinthian.
Foreign community service
Felix Krainer, who grew up on Lake Wörthersee, completed community service abroad in Sweden after graduating from high school. He immediately noticed that the Scandinavian countries are much more open-minded when it comes to climate and environmental protection. At that time, Krainer was already successful with various other social media channels. “And then a friend from Sweden said I could do something for a good cause on social media,” explains the founder of Planet Matters. Inspired by “Ocean Cleanup”, an NGO that uses large ships to clean the seas, the idea of the new TikTok channel was born.
Above all, it is important to him not to point fingers at others, but to act on his own initiative. The environment has always been important to him, but he also wanted to become an entrepreneur in his early youth. He has already succeeded in doing this: since he was 19 years old, he has been able to live solely on his income from social media. Krainer also runs his own online shop with gloves, fan items and bags for “clean-ups”.
Big goals
In any case, the 22-year-old has put his studies at BOKU on hold. “You always have to make the best use of the time and skills you have. And I noticed that the social media business works well,” adds Felix Krainer. As long as he was successful with it, he could also imagine being a TikToker as a career in the long term. The “Bua from the country”, as Krainer calls himself, sees it as his job to ensure that “commitment – in whatever area – becomes a positive status symbol for young people.” Environmental commitment should become “cool”: “You can do it Make friends, enjoy recognition and also earn money. I also want to show that with the project,” emphasizes Krainer.
However, Planet Matters does not want to become a classic NGO. The social media platform does not want to be dependent on donations, but rather finance itself. This is how you ensure your independence, says the founder. Planet Matters should therefore remain a business model in the long term. According to his own statements, Krainer can currently “make a good living from it”.
No ramp sow
Krainer actually tends to shy away from the big public stage, as he says. “During my first media appearances, I had to force myself to be in the public eye from then on,” reports the young Carinthian. That’s why it was probably a conscious decision that the initiative does not contain his name and does not necessarily have to have anything to do with him.
And that also fits with his demeanor: Krainer appears motivated and visionary, but not arrogant or even aloof. No trace of megalomania. Felix Krainer is probably an example of how you can stay on the ground even with a lot of success. This also shows that he is “always open to cooperation” and is always happy to be contacted by others. After all, it’s not just about himself or his own project.