The Client
The Carton Council is a group of the major carton manufacturers servicing the U.S., working voluntarily to divert valuable cartons from local landfills. RRS’s engagement in the campaign is comprehensive – across all segments of the supply chain for end-of-life management of post-consumer cartons.
The Challenge
As part of this ongoing national campaign to increase access to carton recycling, virtually every community across the U.S. must be made aware of the opportunities for recycling cartons and how to add cartons to their programs, and they need outreach materials and assistance to inform their residents that cartons are recyclable. Further, accurate information must be readily available for anyone interested in carton recycling.
Solution
RRS works with Carton Council’s project team to facilitate communications across this broadly-scoped campaign, focusing in six key areas that span pre-access to post-access. The ultimate focus is timely, targeted, accurate, well purposed communication.
Communications Support
We develop branding, messaging and materials for use with communities. This includes all manner of banners, flyers, online tools, brochures, die cuts, slide decks, infographics and promotional items. It also involves speaking points, hot topics, and management of email and phone inquiries.
Digital Media Management
We manage all digital and social media for Carton Council, and ensure the messages are uniform and current across all platforms – Facebook, Twitter, consumer-facing website, professional-facing website. A key aspect of this is creation of sophisticated imagery, interactive maps, and video to help with branding and messaging.
Brand Protection
Our team monitors the digital space daily for carton-related content, and intervenes and corrects any misinformation to maintain and protect the Carton Council brand.
Tradeshow Strategy, Coordination and Execution
Tradeshows present a target rich environment, and our team provides the presence and support to maximize the opportunity. We start by targeting events and attendees, whether they be professional recyclers, elected officials, sustainability coordinators, solid waste directors, school administrators, or others who hold key to access and recovery. We take great care in planning the Carton Council’s presence, from collateral to booth design, award applications to presentations, special events to sponsorship. All logistics are meticulously handled, and our attendees are prepped with suitable background and materials so they can plan for and maximize every encounter. On the backside, we capture key contacts in a Customer Relationship Management database and follow up as appropriate.
Community Outreach and Promotion
Communities new to carton recycling, and those interested in further promoting the opportunity, need dynamic new materials and support. RRS develops and updates a wide array of promotional materials to suit the varied needs of the diverse communities in the U.S. Further, we provide direct assistance to those who need additional customization, we coordinate and facilitate training webinars, and we ensure that our library is readily accessible to those who need it.
Major Media Market Awareness Campaigns
The Carton Council provides an additional burst of promotional support to select communities through three-month marketing campaigns. RRS recruits the target communities, working with key municipal and private sector partners to coordinate a mutually agreeable approach. We then facilitate the development of needed outreach materials for dissemination, arrange for press conferences, and support other outreach components.
Results and Successes
RRS has honed these tools and approaches to be on target for a wide range of communities, which has played an integral part in the success of the entire campaign. In short, access to carton recycling has nearly tripled since we began our work with the Carton Council in 2009, and now half of the country (and growing) can cheer the slogan: When the contents are gone, let the carton live on!