Extinction Rebellion ‘inspires’ Recycle Week 2019

Taking place from 23-29 September, resources and recycling body WRAP says that the heading for the 2019 campaign will be ‘Recycling. It’s in our hands’. This follows on from the plastics focus of the campaign from 2018.

Extinction Rebellion is the citizen-led climate change protest group, which notably carried out a series of high-profile demonstrations, known as ‘Rebellion Days’ at or near famous landmarks in London, over the course of a number of days throughout April.

Materials

In terms of how this influence will be reflected in campaign materials and initiatives, WRAP says that the 2019 Recycle Week will involve ‘high impact’ messaging, featuring national broadcast media, social media and out of home advertising.

The focus will be on asking people to recycle ‘from the bathroom, the kitchen, the office and the great outdoors’, it says.

Outlining the theme in a bulletin to stakeholders, WRAP said: “2019 is the year of the activist. We’ve seen this through protests and marches from Extinction Rebellion to Our Planet, Greta Thunberg to Sir David Attenborough – environmental concerns have never been so front of mind for the nation.

“We want to capitalise on this as it’s a golden opportunity for us to inspire and support citizens to take action and make recycling the new norm. Recycle Week 2019 will be full of action. We will be asking people to recycle from the bathroom, the kitchen, the office and the great outdoors. Getting them to do something powerful and radical that will really make a difference.”

2018 success

The resources charity said that the 2018 Recycle Week was the largest edition in the event’s 15-year history, with more than 100 local authorities, retailers and brands taking part in the event or associated initiatives.

Retailers and brands involved in the week-long initiative, which took place in September included John Lewis, Tesco, Aldi, Sure, Marmite, Innocent Smoothies, H&M, Danone and Heinz. The campaign reached over 27 million citizens across social media, out of home advertising and PR, according to WRAP.