ANTALYA, Türkiye- Greenpeace International has unveiled a giant Trojan Horse installation at the COP31 climate conference, using the artwork to argue that plastic production is helping fossil fuel and petrochemical companies maintain demand for oil and gas.
The six-metre-high, four-metre-wide sculpture was installed in Konyaalti Municipality in central Antalya on Thursday and released plastic from a trapdoor in its belly during the action.
The installation was created with Danish artist Thomas Dambo for Greenpeace’s plastics campaign.
Greenpeace said the artwork was intended to send a message to leaders attending the United Nations climate talks: plastic is “Big Oil’s Trojan Horse”.
Linking plastics to fossil fuel demand
The campaign group argues that plastic production allows the fossil fuel industry to extend its business model as pressure grows globally to shift away from oil, gas and coal.
Greenpeace says plastics contribute to climate change across their life cycle, including fossil fuel extraction, manufacturing, transport and disposal. It is calling on governments to curb plastic production at the source rather than focusing only on waste collection and recycling.
Berk Butan, Greenpeace Türkiye’s Social and Economic Systems Campaigner, said the Trojan Horse imagery was deliberately linked to the region’s ancient history.
“The fossil fuel industry is using plastic as an escape hatch,” Butan said, adding that Türkiye’s Zero Waste agenda should include limits on plastic production and restrictions on imported plastic waste.
Türkiye is hosting COP31 while also promoting its Zero Waste initiative, a programme that aims to reduce waste and encourage more sustainable consumption.
Greenpeace said the action was designed to challenge leaders to confront what it describes as the growing influence of fossil fuel and petrochemical interests in plastic production.
Africa warning
Greenpeace Africa’s Pan-African political strategist Fred Njehu said the expansion of petrochemicals could lock African countries into years of continued extraction and pollution.
He said governments should not treat climate action and plastic production as separate debates, arguing that both are linked to the future of fossil fuel demand.
“COP31 must deliver real accountability,” Njehu said, calling for a binding treaty that cuts plastic production and makes corporate polluters responsible for the environmental effects of their supply chains.
The press release did not name individual fossil fuel or petrochemical companies.
Dambo, known for sculptures made from recycled materials, said the installation was meant to encourage people to reconsider the connection between everyday plastic products and oil and gas.
He said a healthier climate would require reducing plastic production, not simply managing the waste it creates.
Call for a binding plastics treaty
Greenpeace is urging governments to secure a strong Global Plastics Treaty that cuts production at the source, supports reuse and refill systems, and accelerates a just transition away from fossil fuels.
Jacob Kean-Hammerson, Greenpeace USA’s Global Plastics Policy Lead, said governments could not effectively address the climate crisis while allowing unchecked plastic production.
The campaign comes ahead of the next Global Plastics Treaty negotiations scheduled for March 2027. Greenpeace says COP31 leaders should use the Antalya talks to address plastic production as part of wider climate action.
