Call2Recycle, Inc.

Education and outreach to spark behavior change

Call2Recycle, a nonprofit North American membership-based product stewardship organization, was appointed by the State of Vermont to run the state’s battery recycling program. This first-in-the-nation program encourages drop-off locations for dead batteries, arranges for proper disposal of them, and conducts outreach about proper battery safety. Call2Recycle (C2R) originally approached Marketing Partners for in-market assistance in promoting and launching the Battery Recycling Program. Marketing Partners continued to coordinate with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and other local partners on an annual basis to provide integrated communication support.

Focus Areas

Energy and Environment

Membership Associations

 

Related Services

Traditional Marketing

Content Strategy and Positioning

Digital Strategy & Web Design

The Challenge

Vermonters value authenticity and local connection.  How can a national nonprofit organization communicate its message to the local population in an effective and relatable way to inspire a change in behavior? 

Insight

For Vermont to reach its aggressive battery recycling goals, we needed a multi-pronged approach:

  • Education about the human safety and environmental damage of improper battery disposal
  • Inspiring details on C2R's Circular Economy approach, which reclaims valuable minerals and materials from the battery recycling process
  • Partner with and support local solid waste districts and battery retailers to make a disposal site available within a few miles of every Vermont home
  • Consistent reminders at local points-of-purchase and points-of-disposal 
2018 Vermont battery recycling graphic

Strategies

Creating an authentic Vermont voice for this international brand was an important part of the communication strategy.

Developing and maintaining Vermont-specific social media accounts to engage the local population helped create more trust and was more likely to be heard.

C2R_case-study_generic-logo_800x800

What We Did

On-the-ground marketing support for a large national nonprofit included annual marketing plans to maximize effective use of variable funding levels, PR, event coordination, advertising (broadcast, print, and digital), and social media management.
 

Engaging a younger audience 

For C2R to create lasting behavior change, it was important to reach the next generation with its messages. 

We helped launch the first "School Battery Quest" contest for students K-8 to encourage learning about proper battery recycling in a fun, engaging way. We created an independent microsite to collect entries, reached out to teachers and principals, designed workbooks for students, and developed digital advertising to promote the contest. (In the background, we also created a contest system to collect and tally entries, notify participants, and keep the national C2R team informed.)

 

School Battery Quest Assets
Social media examples for Call2Recycle

Social Media

Messaging that stays on brand, with Vermont charm
digital advertising examples

Digital Advertising

Promoting contests and surveys to the local audience
Media logos for public relations

Public Relations

Connecting a national organization with local media

Impact

While partnering with Marketing Partners, Call2Recycle met or exceeded its annual goals, such as:

  • Number of participating drop-off locations within 5 miles of Vermont residents
  • Pounds of batteries collected for recycling in 2016 and 2017
  • By 2018 more than 146,000 pounds of batteries were collected
  • Website traffic for the Vermont program and disposal site locator on the U.S. national website
  • Percent of Vermont residents who know that household batteries can be recycled
Call2Recycle battery drop-off box in the office