Communicating for Impact category
2022 AWARD FINALIST
Sponsored by Federation
Mitre 10 created Pot Recycle, a product stewardship scheme, in partnership with Zealandia Horticulture. It enables customers to return unwanted plastic plant and seedling pots for recycling into new ones in a circular, closed-loop process.
Crucially, the scheme hinges on customer participation and success depends on returned pots being clean. The communications strategy was therefore built around awareness and education.
The launch was set for Conservation Week 2021, however, COVID-19 restrictions intervened. The roll-out was delayed until stores could open and the communications strategy had to pivot.
Interviews were secured with top-tier media and the campaign was covered by local and national mainstream media and international industry media. Other communications included video, imagery, web content, in-store collateral, newsletters, social media and a partnership with Good magazine. Targeted stakeholder communications reached sustainability champions, industry peers and the public sector.
Internal communications, training and customer-facing FAQs equipped team members to be advocates for the scheme and encourage customers on their own sustainability journeys.
Coverage reached more than 3 million Kiwis and was overwhelmingly positive. Over 700,000 pots have been returned to date, showing what a collective effort directed at a collective challenge can achieve.