rijkswaterstaat

an interactive platform as a roadmap to less waste

When Rijkswaterstaat (the executive agency of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management) recently wanted to develop a new tool to support schools in terms of circular purchasing, they reached out to make sense and Copper8 for content and creativity. 

Together we developed the brand-new ‘slim met schoolafval’ (smart with school waste) project - an interactive website that guides schools towards greater sustainability and less waste by means of a useful roadmap. The campaign was part of VANG Buitenshuis’s programme, ‘From waste to raw material’, and supports schools in their circular business practices. 

Rijkswaterstaat manages and develops the national roads and waterways in the Netherlands and strives for a sustainable environment. An environment in which raw materials remain in circulation for as long as possible, that retains its value and respects the planet. Schools play an important social role in this. Not only in training their pupils and raising awareness, but also in their daily business operations. When purchasing textbooks, furniture and computers, circular thinking and acting is increasingly common, however schools are often still struggling to deal with their waste properly.

 

interactive website with roadmap

 Together with Copper8 – experts in circular purchasing – we set up the project. Through a workshop with approximately 20 school buyers from the education sector, we collected relevant information and example cases. Through in depth interviews of school buyers and managers, as well as waste treatment facilities and education experts, we further expanded our knowledge. We used all content and insights gathered as a basis for our communication strategy and website structure.

Our aim? To organise the valuable information in a logical manner and make it easy to find. And to stimulate school staff, facility workers, municipal officials from the waste, cleaning and environmental services, waste collectors and cleaning companies to deal with school waste in a smart way.

The website highlights a number of important issues that are often overlooked, such as creating support within the school and the importance of good contract management.

The site guides schools through their purchasing process step by step and helps them enter into sustainable waste contracts with third parties. 

Thanks to these contracts, residual waste is optimally separated and thus reduced to a minimum, giving valuable residual flows a new lease of life. In four steps, the tool provides practical tips, important points of attention and example cases to become a sustainable school.

The website was launched with an official press release from Rijkswaterstaat and two interview articles that appeared on approximately 60 relevant platforms in several media outlets.

 

the result

The interactive platform organically draws about 100 unique and specific visitors a week. Through free publicity, the press release and the two interview articles reached dozens of online platforms, websites and numerous newsletters.The project also received the necessary attention through word of mouth.