Consumer recycling
Check It! Before You Chuck It
CONTEXT
Helping Australians recycle right with the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL). “Check It Before You Chuck It” is a national consumer education campaign delivered on behalf of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO)
Context
Nearly a third (27% – 2.2 million tonnes) of all packaging ends up in landfill unnecessarily due to poor household recycling habits. Consumers are a vital part of the recycling ecosystem and empowering them to make the right choice at the ‘bin-face’ can significantly improve Australia’s recycling rates.
OUR WORK
Our Work
To address this, APCO engaged Horizon to develop a campaign to improve consumer recycling behaviours while increasing awareness of its on-pack labelling program, the ARL.
The three-year campaign was funded by a Federal Government grant awarded under the Environmental Restoration Fund. To respond to the brief, Horizon developed Check It! Before You Chuck It, an integrated behaviour change campaign designed to encourage all Australians to look for the ARL every time they are at the bin. The campaign went live in October 2020 ahead of National Recycling Week and ran until the end of February 2023 and delivered key activities including strategy and creative development, research, stakeholder, media and government engagement, social media, partnerships and content creation.
Highlights Included:
- Stakeholder and intermediary outreach: Ongoing stakeholder engagement (including all tiers of government, universities, brands and retailers) resulting in many championing the creative and collaborating on separate mini campaigns. Resource toolkits were developed and distributed.
- Social media: Organic social media content shared across Planet Ark’s channels, amplified through paid social media advertising.
- Media relations: Ongoing mainstream media relations leveraging key awareness days.
- Consumer Insights Report: The Australasian Recycling Label Consumer Insights Report unpacking key insights into consumers understanding of recycling, behaviours and the ARL was developed and released to media, stakeholders and on social media.
- Ambassadors: Planet Ark’s ambassador network amplified the campaign launch and acted as media spokespeople.
- Schools program and School’s Recycle Right Challenge: Annual program distributed curriculum-aligned ARL lesson plans carrying the ‘Check It’ key messages to schools.
- ATL/ paid partnerships: The launch animation flighted as a Community Service Announcement at regular intervals including over National Recycling Week in 2020 and 2021 and on outdoor billboards during the 2021 Sydney Film Festival. On-train billboards were rolled-out across NSW and QLD while digital advertising ran on the Nine Network.
- Government relations: Regular briefings with Ministerial and Departmental teams, with Check It regularly championed by Ministers on social media and events.
- Sustainability Matters! How To Talk To Consumers About It messaging guide and webinar: The messaging guide was developed to support marketing professionals to deliver consistent messaging to consumers, greatly increasing the chances of positive behaviour change. The report was launched during a dedicated webinar on Mumbrella with over 300 attendees.
RESULTS
Results
The Check It! campaign achieved a total of 25,000 animation views, a combined social media reach of more than six million and featured in 45 editorial pieces, reaching a combined audience of more than 25 million. Stakeholder toolkits were downloaded more than 8600 times and the Schools Program and School’s Recycle Right Challenge reached 85,000 students annually.
AWARDS
Awards
Silver
2023 Stevie
Award
Silver
2022 PRIA Golden
Target Awards
Finalist
2022 PRCA Asia Pacific
Gold Standard Awards
Finalist
2021 Banksia
Awards