Dr Nicki Souter

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Influencing Consumer Purchasing Decisions

• Dr Nicki Souter
• Scottish Waste Awareness Group

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Waste Aware Scotland

• The Scottish Waste Awareness Group (SWAG) was
  established in 2000 and is managed by Keep
  Scotland Beautiful.
• Develop and deliver Waste Aware Scotland
  campaigning programme to
• Provide consistency of Reduce Reuse Recycle
  messages.
• Promote behavioural change with the four key
  audiences Businesses, Consumers, Community
  Organisations and Local Authorities.

3
Recycling Achievements

• Since 2001, the Waste Aware Scotland
  campaigning programme, with its partners, has
  demonstrated success in increasing public
  awareness of, and changing attitudes and
  behaviour towards, Reduce Reuse Recycle.
• Recycling/composting rate for Municipal Solid
  Waste (MSW) has increased from 4.55 to just over
  30.
• Facilities
• 75 access to kerbside recycling
• 186 Recycling Centres and 2,769 Recycling Points.
• 81 of Scottish households now recycling compared
  to 50 in 2002.

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Scottish Government Targets

• The Scottish Government recently outlined its
  plans towards a zero waste Scotland. Waste
  prevention is central to achieving this and the
  Scottish Government has set a challenging target
  to stop growth in municipal waste by 2010.
• Ambitious recycling/composting targets were also
  set
• 40 (2010)
• 50 (2013)
• 60 (2020)
• The Scottish Government has five strategic
  objectives
• 1 - Wealthier and Fairer 2 - Healthier
• 3 - Safer and Stronger 4 - Smarter 5 - Greener

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Waste Aware Scotlands Role

• Support the Scottish Government to achieve its
  targets and objectives
• Develop effective communication strategies to
  maintain, enhance and optimise recycling
  behaviour.
• Achieve stabilisation of waste growth and waste
  prevention targets. For example
• Smarter - provide consumer information and
  education enabling the individual to make more
  informed choices leading to more sustainable
  waste management behaviour and resource efficient
  consumption.
• Greener - stimulate sustainable consumption and
  production to include encouraging demand for
  products with recycled content and longer
  lifespan.

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Changing Attitudes and Behaviour Towards Reduce
and Reuse

• A range of campaigns under the umbrella of the
  Waste Aware Scotland Waste Prevention Programme
  to support Scottish local authorities, Community
  Sector organisations, retailers, and businesses.
  These include
• Product Life Spans/Purchasing Decisions
• Food Waste
• Packaging
• Unwanted Mail
• Home Composting
• Real Nappies
• Reuse Framework

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Current Attitudes and Behaviour Towards Reduce

• In 2006 SWAG conducted a door step survey of 5002
  people across Scotland to assess attitudes and
  behaviours towards Reduce Reuse Recycle.
• A section of the survey explored public attitudes
  towards waste reduction, current Reduce
  behaviour, and awareness of other waste reduction
  practices.
• 34 of respondents stated that they practised
  some form of Reduce behaviour.
• Only 17 of respondents were employing true waste
  reduction practices.

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Variation by Waste Reduction Methods Practiced
in 2002 and 2006
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Current Attitudes and Behaviour Towards Reuse

• This section of the survey explored public
  attitudes towards waste reuse, current Reuse
  behaviour, and awareness of other waste Reuse
  practices.
• 60 of respondents were practising some form of
  waste Reuse behaviour at home.

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Main Materials Reused by Respondents in 2002 and
2006
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Product Life SpansReducing Consumption of
Household Products

• A consumer facing campaign in partnership with
  Consumer Protection Bodies, Retailers, Energy
  Savings Trust (EST), CRNS and others, to provide
  information to consumers on product life spans,
  guarantees and the availability of spare parts
• Primary focus for this campaign will be
  electrical products
• This campaign will encourage householders to
  purchase longer lasting, durable products, and to
  repair rather than replace products.

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Outcomes

• This initiative will help to deliver the
  following targets in partnership with Consumer
  Protection Bodies, Retailers, the Energy Savings
  Trust (EST), Scottish Local Authorities,
  Community Sector organisations and the general
  public
• A tonnage Reductions of 2,000 tonnes by 10/11
• A reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 3,900
  tonnes by 10/11
• Cost savings within the Scottish economy of
  0.224m (avoided landfill costs)
• Links to the Scottish Governments Strategic
  Objectives
• Smarter
• Greener

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Information Currently Available and Attitudes To
Product Life Spans

• Information
• The amount and quality of information available
  on product life spans is currently inadequate
  leaving it difficult for consumers to choose
  longer lasting products (Tim Cooper)
• Limited information is provided by manufacturers
  but tends to be for premium range products only
  
• Some retailers conduct product testing but this
  does not normally include lifespan testing.
• Attitudes
• Consumers are unaware how long products should
  last
• Consumers dispose of products which are still
  fully functional for example where products have
  been superseded by newest technology, model,
  design etc.,
• Consumers are increasingly demanding products
  that are less harmful to the environment, but the
  link between the two has not been made e.g.
  purchasing products that are more energy
  efficient but not necessarily longer lasting.

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Information Currently Available and Attitudes To
Product Guarantees

• Information
• Consumer protection bodies provide information on
  guarantees, extended warranties and the legal
  protection offered (e.g. consumer direct, trading
  standards, citizens advice, consumers rights
  expert)
• Extended warranties have been criticised for
  their poor value to consumers
• Extended warranties tend to be more actively
  promoted by retailers.
• Attitudes
• The majority of consumers are aware of the
  purpose of extended warranties and guarantees
• Consumers expect for example electrical products
  to come with at least a one year guarantee
• Consumers are unconfident of the comparable costs
  of extended warranties versus repair.

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Information Currently Available and Attitudes To
Spare Parts and Repairs

• Information
• Retailers advertise a spares and accessories
  website for their products e.g. Partmaster.co.uk,
  or own sites
• Retailers more actively promote repair services
  only as part of their extended warranty package
• Manufacturers offer both replacement parts as
  well as repair services. Information will also be
  contained within user manuals
• Independent advice is also available. For
  example, White Goods Help offers advice on
  repairs (common faults, where to get spares, and
  details of local independent repair services)
• Directories such as the Yellow Pages list local
  repair services
• Sort-It Web based tool as part of the Waste Aware
  Scotland programme identifies local repair
  outlets across Scotland.
• Attitudes
• Consumers discard appliances that still function
• Repair is often perceived to be prohibitively
  expensive compared to direct replacement.

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Product Life SpansCampaigning Strategy

• Baseline attitudinal survey
• Detailed assessment of attitudes to product life
  spans, and consumer purchasing decisions prior to
  intervention
• Provision of information to consumers
• Raise awareness of the impact of product
  life-spans on the environment
• Encourage consumers to purchase longer lasting
  durable products (working in partnership with
  Retailers)
• Raise awareness of the benefits of product
  guarantees
• Encourage consumers to repair products rather
  than replace (summarising and signposting the
  consumer to the range of information sources
  available, and providing indicative costing
  information)
• Provide information to consumers on spare parts
  and repair services in their local area
  (Sort-It)

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Product Life SpansCampaigning Strategy

• Communication Approach
• Local authorities, and community sector
  organisations as part of their individual waste
  prevention activities. Intervention strategies
  will include introductory flyer, information
  leaflet including a local product directory, face
  to face contact, national/local retail engagement
  (potential for in-store surveys), follow up
  campaigns, and feedback. This campaign will link
  to other consumer purchasing decision initiatives
  and the reuse campaigning programmes.
• After attitudinal survey
• Detailed assessment of attitudes to product life
  spans, and consumer purchasing decisions after
  initial intervention.

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Purchasing Decisions Reducing Consumption of
Household Products

• Increase awareness amongst consumers of the waste
  and environmental implications of their
  purchases.
• Promote ways in which consumers can consider
  their purchasing decisions and prevent household
  waste. This will include promoting
• online waste exchanges
• the use of charity shops
• buying experiences rather than gifts
• borrowing/hiring of items
• buying re-chargeable
• the Reuse Framework (furniture, paint, etc.)

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Outcomes

• This initiative will help to deliver the
  following targets in partnership with the CRNS,
  Scottish Local authorities, Community Sector
  organisations, Retailers, the Energy Savings
  Trust (EST), the Centre for Remanufacturing and
  Re-use (CRR), and the general public
• A tonnage reduction of 6000 tonnes by 10/11
• A reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 11,000
  tonnes by 10/11
• Cost savings within the Scottish economy of
  0.672m (avoided landfill costs)
• Links to the Scottish Governments Strategic
  Objectives
• Smarter
• Greener

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Reuse FrameworkReducing the Amount of Reusable
Items Being Sent to Landfill

• Support the promotion of the Reuse Framework.
  This will include the development of a consumer
  facing Reuse campaign to
• Discourage householders from putting reusable
  items in the residual waste bin
• Promote re-usable materials
• Encourage further reuse of goods such as
  furniture and white goods
• Promote Community repaint initiatives
• Communication support materials for community
  groups to help to maximise recovery of reusable
  bulky household items.

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Outcomes

• This initiative will help to deliver the
  following targets in partnership with CRNS,
  Resource Futures, Remade, Local Authorities,
  WRAP, Community Sector organisations and the
  general public
• A tonnage reduction of 30,000 tonnes by 10/11
• A reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 60,000
  tonnes by 10/11 (8020 wood metal)
• Cost savings within the Scottish economy of
  3.36m (avoided landfill disposal costs)
• Links to the Scottish Governments Strategic
  Objectives
• Wealthier and Fairer
• Smarter
• Healthier
• Greener

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Sort-It Tool

• Sort-It www.sort-it.org.uk is an online search
  tool for Recycling facilities.
• Householders can search by material or area to
  find what Recycling facilities are available in
  their area.
• Developing Reduce and Reuse section. For
  example
• Reduce. Local repair services, spare parts and
  companies selling products and products designed
  for longer life.
• Reuse. Community enterprises, for example,
  furniture re-use organisations.

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Timescales

• Purchasing Decisions - will continue to be
  developed as part of the Waste Aware Scotland
  waste prevention programme, and will be reviewed
  on an annual basis.
• Product Life Spans - will be developed and
  launched by March 2009.
• Reuse - consumer facing reuse campaign developed
  in 2008.

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Contact Details

• Thank You
• Dr Nicki Souter
• nicki.souter_at_ksbscotland.org.uk
• 01786 468 244