Deforestation Field
View the case- Brand
- Lavazza
- Year
- 2022
- Objective
- Awareness
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Simulation & Strategy
- Platform
- In-Game
- Agency
- We Are Social
Objective
Lavazza wanted to make the scale of Amazon deforestation land with a Gen Z audience on the platform where they already spend their time. The brand turned "a football pitch" into its unit of loss — the Amazon rainforest sheds one every 20 seconds — and rebuilt that metaphor inside Roblox, then tied playtime to real reforestation with the Lavazza Foundation and NGO Cesvi in Peru, part of its "Blend for Better" sustainability program.
Solution
Players drop into Lavazza Arena, a bare, deforested football pitch cut into the Amazon rainforest — no trees, no grass, just scorched ground. After customizing an avatar with a kit inspired by endangered Amazonian animals, they pick where to go: a competitive 20-player match on the main court, a training pitch to drill moves, the Lavazza Café to hang out, or the Learning Area, which explains the deforestation crisis. The more matches get played, the more the surrounding map regrows — grass, plants, and trees fill back in as a visible payoff of playing. Along the way, players earn an in-game currency called beans, redeemable through promo codes for power-ups and cosmetic gear.
Results
570K users in the first week, 9.6M gamers reached, and 252M impressions, with 2.5M minutes of related livestreams watched. The campaign drove reforestation of 43K "football fields" worth of Amazon rainforest. As of September 2026, the Roblox experience has logged 666,874 all-time visits and 2,574 favorites.
- 1
The player opens the Lavazza Arena experience on Roblox (web or mobile app) and presses Play, using a Roblox account to enter.
- 2
The player spawns on a completely deforested football pitch — bare ground surrounded by the Amazon rainforest with not a tree left standing, billed as the first deforested football pitch in video game history.
- 3
The player customizes their avatar with football kits inspired by endangered Amazonian animals, plus Amazon-themed skins and power-ups.
- 4
From a central hub, the player chooses between a competitive match, a practice area, the Lavazza Cafè, or the Learning Area.
- 5
The player joins a football match with up to 20 other players on the bare pitch, or heads to the practice area to drill football skills through mini-exercises instead.
- 6
As more matches are played across the server, the pitch itself changes: grass, plants, and trees gradually reappear around the field, letting the player watch the forest regrow as a direct result of play.
- 7
In the Learning Area the player reads about Amazon deforestation and the Lavazza Foundation's reforestation project with Cesvi, while the Lavazza Cafè serves as a social space to hang out with other players.
- 8
The player taps a gift icon in the interface, enters a promo code, and receives 250 "beans," an in-game currency spent on power-ups and cosmetic items.
- 9
During the launch period, players could join matches alongside guest footballers Claudio Marchisio and Giorgio Chiellini, or enter tournaments that Twitch streamers ran live with their communities.
