Anyone who lived through the early 2000s will remember the Red campaign, fronted by U2’s Bono and backed by Gap, Apple, and more. Buying Red merch back then signaled that you were a part of something bigger, that your fashion (and general shopping) choices were more than just aesthetically driven, they were supporting a cause.
Matt Damon and his nonprofit, Water.org’s, “Get Blue” campaign is 2026’s version of that kind of cause-driven social campaign. Partnering with Gap, Starbucks, Amazon, and more, consumer choices can contribute, in a major way, to help end the world’s water access crisis, starting yesterday, Tuesday, June 9.
For every Get Blue merch purchase from Gap, the company will contribute $5 to the campaign. “It only takes $5 to get someone clean water for life,” Damon tells Cosmopolitan. Proceeds from two new drinks from Starbucks will also contribute, as will playing certain songs on Amazon Prime’s participating artists Rediscover playlists. Through Alexa+, you can also say, “Alexa, donate to Get Blue.” And it will automatically contribute $5 from Amazon, at no cost to the customer.
Damon and his Water.org co-founder Gary White are hoping this campaign will reach young people in particular, consumers generally, and even other artists, creators, and actors, in an exponential swing that will impact water access across the world. “We’re trying to build a movement. It’s an attempt to try to raise awareness in the culture, in all different kinds of ways. To just try to get this on the front of people's minds.”
Starting now, you can shop pieces across Get Blue’s partners, and view a SNL Cold Open-coded skit with Damon, Rachel Sennott, and HitMan.
Cosmopolitan sat down with Matt Damon and his co-founder Gary White, to learn more about what this cause, and the new campaign, means. Read the full conversation below.
Cosmopolitan: You co-founded Water.org in 2009 and have been working to solve the global water crisis for nearly 20 years. Why is this cause so close to your heart, both of you?
Matt Damon: I got into it because I went on a trip to learn about all these issues of extreme poverty, and I was just shocked at how water undergirded everything. I really knew nothing about it at the time, and to see the impact that it had, and the fact that I never heard about it—I decided to put my focus on it. And in an effort to maximize the impact that I could have, I looked for the preeminent expert in the space, and that's what led me to Gary White.
And for you Gary, why is this so close to your heart?
Gary White: Growing up, it was kind of instilled in us. Matt had this with his family, growing up, too. You know, giving back to the world, figuring out how can you have an impact? I was studying engineering as an undergrad. And I wondered, where do you find engineering matching up with social justice? And it's just like, ah, water. I learned about how pervasive the water crisis was, and that's what really drew me into trying to figure out solutions for this.
There are a lot of causes to champion right now, and it also sometimes feels like a new crisis is popping up daily. Why should water be at the top of people's lists?
MD: A million kids are dying every year from something that's completely preventable. But leaving that aside, the very first water collection I ever went on was with a girl. She was 14 years old, and, and we walked, like a mile, to this well, and filled up these Jerry cans and walked back. I just really connected to her, 'cause she was telling me about what she was gonna do. This was a village in rural Zambia.
I was like, ‘Are you gonna live here? You know, when you grow up?’ She's like, ‘No way, I'm getting out of here.’ She goes, ‘I’m going to Lusaka. I'm going to the big city. I'm gonna be a nurse.’ It just reminded me of Ben Affleck and I at that age going, ‘We're gonna get out of here. We’re gonna go to New York. We’re gonna be actors.’ It’s really what every 14 year old should be dreaming of.
It wasn't until later, I realized that had someone not sunk this water hole within walking distance of this kid, she wouldn't even have been in school, because this issue disproportionately affects women and girls, who are often in charge of the water collection. If there isn't an accessible water source near enough, they have to go just figure it out. So many girls aren't in school because of this. And, day to day, they're just repeating this cycle. It just completely stifles their potential. So, this issue spreads beyond the needless death and the health issues that are already huge. Into this area of opportunity and human potential.
Social justice doesn't necessarily have to be a zero sum game in terms of what you focus on. I know there are a lot of important things to focus on, and we live in a world that's very noisy, and constantly reminding us that it's noisy, and it can feel overwhelming. But one of the reasons we wanted to start Get Blue was it was a way in which, without altering too much at all in your everyday life, you could have a real impact.
Our partners came up with all these different ways to interact with this campaign. Starbucks is doing a Blue Matcha and a Blue Coconut Refresher. Gap has done a whole capsule with sweatshirts, T shirts, and jeans. In the case of this sweatshirt, Gap is giving $5 for every item sold. It only takes $5 to get someone clean water for life. If you like this sweatshirt, and you want to buy a sweatshirt, buy this sweatshirt! You're gonna completely change someone’s life.
Growing up in the early 2000s, everybody was super impacted by the Red campaign, and this feels very spiritually similar to that. Down to the Gap partnership. Did you have any involvement in the Red campaign or with Bono?
We called Bono when we had this idea, we called him immediately and said, you know, what do you think? He’s been a huge champion of the work of Water.org from the beginning, and he loved this idea. The Red campaign's been incredibly successful and effective. This is very much modeled on that—an attempt to try to raise awareness in the culture, in all different kinds of ways. To just try to get this on the front of people's minds.
We want this to resonate with everyone, but we have a lot of hope with the younger generation. It feels like they're connected and conscientious. And are looking for ways to be impactful. And are looking for ways to even shop that are intentional.
Cosmo readers are in that younger cohort and a lot of people want Gen Z to get activated around causes like this one. Your daughters are part of this demographic. I'm wondering what you say to them to get them involved in things like this, and caring about causes more generally.
One, I mean, they've been lucky, because they've been able to come into the field with me on trips with Water.org. So they've seen it firsthand. That's something my mother did with me when I was young, and was very lucky to travel in the developing world with her and just see things. That’s a real gift, because it allows you to contextualize your own life within a larger world. For me, I obviously want them to understand and know about this. But at the same time, I listen to them in terms of what's important to them, because, again, as Gary said, it's really about finding your own passion, and matching that passion and your talents with what the world needs. I would encourage your readers to reflect on what moves them and get involved in any way they can. And not to feel deterred by the fact that the problems feel overwhelming. They'll always feel overwhelming. Whatever you do, it’s extremely important to not let a feeling of helplessness keep you on your couch.
The trend cycle and attention cycle can be really vicious, and that can include social justice causes falling in and out of favor. How can we make sure that this is something people continue to care about?
GW: We're anchoring in these great iconic brands, and, we're all in this for the long haul. This isn't just something that's gonna happen this summer and fade away. And, as we look to bring on new additional Get Blue partners—we're already in conversation with others—we can keep that momentum going.
We also see the power of culture, the power of music and of artists and creators. That's something that we want to be doing as well as engaging more people along the way. We see Get Blue as a front door. It's easy to walk through when you go buy the refresher, and then you recognize, Wait, this is doing what? Then it causes people to go a little bit deeper into these issues. We hope that this will infiltrate a little bit into the culture. That people want to make the world a better place, especially, you know, the younger demographics. This can be a way for them to spark this ability, and the concept of everybody can participate.
Yes, it's great if you can make a donation, but even if you can't make a $5 donation, you can share on platform. Or share what you're seeing, this interview, with others. Maybe the next water professionals are listening, and they're gonna move their career towards this.
What's your message to other artists and creators? How can they get involved and what would you want them to know in this moment?
MD: We're always reaching out to other people, and we're trying to build a movement, and we'll continue reaching out. I never am prescriptive about other people. They’re making personal choices, and a lot of people in that community are doing incredible work in different areas. But as this movement grows, we're hoping to connect with a lot more people and bring them on board. Given the scale of this problem, that's what's going to be required.
To get involved in Get Blue, follow @GetBlueforWater on Instagram and shop the Get Blue drops on Gap and Amazon and at Starbucks.
Rachel Torgerson is the fashion features and lifestyle director at Cosmopolitan, overseeing fashion and lifestyle coverage online, in print, and on our various social media platforms. She has over a decade of experience in the fashion and media industries. Before landing at Cosmopolitan as a digital fashion editor in 2016, she worked at Us Weekly, The Knot, and Fitness Magazine, among others. When she's not discussing runway trends, you can definitely catch her trying out (and, in many cases, failing) a new crochet cardigan pattern or in a spirited debate about the difference between the Bridgerton books vs the Netflix series. Follow her on Instagram and TikTok: @RachelTorgs
