Making sustainability engaging for all

Every authority has geographic areas where people seem less involved in recycling or other resource efficiency initiatives. These Low Participation Areas (LPAs) might contain groups that are hard to reach or to engage with. Equally it may be a mystery why interest is so low, especially when the next-door area has comparatively high take up rates.

We can help you find out why certain areas are a problem by carrying out research with residents, for instance focus groups and surveys; demographic profiling; or reviews to see if services are appropriate.

If it is the services themselves that are a problem, then we can help make them easier or safer to use. If the problem is communication, then we have many ways to get the resource efficiency message across

Isolating the problem

Effective communications can improve recycling performance in LPAs. However there might be a variety of complex reasons why participation is reduced. Correctly identifying all the relevant factors is the key to an effective communications plan.

By using the following tools we can find out who are the people you should be talking to and how you should be talking to them:

• Profiling, including, conventional ACORN or GreenACORN, Mosaic, and, Defra environmental behaviours segmentation model

• Deploying social marketing principles to research target audiences

• Target audience segmentation

Delivering the solution

From this information we can develop a communications plan to deliver your message in the most effective way. Which might mean:

• Doorstepping

• Event management

• Leaflets - including for non English speakers and specialist groups

• Community engagement

You might like to use the WRAP toolkit on communications in LPAs, written by Resource Futures which can provide the basis for future action.

Visit http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications

If you would like more about our expertise in increasing participation,

please give us a call on 0117 9304355