Like most companies, when advertising budgets are tight, the focus turns to promote quality, value and service. This autumn, however, Mark Stevenson, joint managing director of Stevensons, has more pressing eco-issues he wants to air.
Stevensons, the UK’s largest independent school uniform outfitters, is switching its autumn advertising spend to focus on eco-issues with a new ‘Sustainable Stevensons’ campaign. The new adverts will appear in a range of education titles this September and October.
Stevensons believes it is time that schoolwear suppliers and retailers took a more active approach to sustainability; communicating directly with their school partners on how they can make a practical difference to re-use and recycling.
Earlier this year, following a drive to expand the scope of its sustainability activities, Stevensons launched three key initiatives.
The first of these was to promote recycling of school uniform by supporting the parent created website, Old School Uniform.
The business has also been reducing the type and amount of virgin plastic it currently uses. Initially, this was by replacing all carrier and mailbags with 100% recycled and recyclable versions. However, the company is also increasing the range of garments it makes from recycled materials.
Finally, Stevensons has partnered with Boots2Africa; a charity that collects, transports and distributes donated boots to Africa’s children and young adults through relief organisations.
The first two of the above sustainability initiatives feature in adverts within a range of educational press titles.
The aim of the campaign is to raise the profile of recycling and re-use directly with schools across the country. Also, for schools to see the initiatives as a way of promoting eco-values to their pupils, as well as differentiating between companies that are taking positive action to protect the environment and those that aren’t.
By demonstrating a practical approach to getting involved, Stevensons hopes to influence pupils and their parents; the ultimate aim being to help reduce the 300,000 tonnes of clothing that goes to landfill annually in the UK.
Commenting on the campaign is Mark Stevenson, joint managing director of Stevensons. “As sponsors of the Schoolwear Association Sustainability Award 2019, we felt the need to lead from the front by promoting our practical approach to sustainability direct to our school partners this autumn.”
