Supermarket shoppers see green
14 June 2004
Supermarket shoppers want to see retailers taking a more active role in promoting and participating in recycling issues, according to a new study published this week.
The research, commissioned by the national Rethink Rubbish and London based Rethink Rubbish Western Riverside campaigns and funded by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme), evaluated the impact of a communications campaign in a cross-section of London supermarkets.
Advertising on shopping trolleys, baskets and supermarket floors, plus strategically positioned point-of-sale materials were placed in 19 supermarkets with the aim of encouraging local residents to recycle more. Running for a five-week period from March 2004, supermarkets involved included Asda, Safeway, Sainsbury’s and Tesco across the London boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham and Wandsworth.
Specifically, the research revealed:
- 80% of customers said that they wanted to see more of these messages in-store, along with increased retailer involvement in recycling campaigns
- 70% of customers said that the in-store messages improved their view of the retailer
- customers also view supermarkets as an appropriate environment for recycling messages, with on-shelving being the most prominent place to be seen
Of those customers who saw the messages, 61% said it increased their knowledge of what could be recycled locally and 55% said it encouraged them to recycle more, particularly material specific messages such as the recycling of aerosol cans.
These figures increased significantly in Safeway stores where the campaign point-of-sale materials contrasted more with the Safeway corporate brand and where there was a higher permitted volume of point-of-sale materials in comparison with other retailer stores.
“Working with local supermarkets provided a high-traffic environment where we could show customers the link between what you buy in-store and what you recycle at home. We were encouraged to see that not only did customers recognise supermarkets as an ideal environment for promoting recycling, they want to see more of these messages in-store with higher retailer involvement,” says Jim Fielder, Waste Watch Campaign Manager.
“Amongst this Western Riverside audience there was already a high awareness of recycling and the results of this survey illustrate how consumers respond to supermarkets helping to reinforce the work of local authorities.”