Understanding the motivations and behaviours of different stakeholders is essential to targeting the right messages to the right audiences.
As a local authority you may not be best placed to deliver messages to all audiences so it is important to look for partners who residents engage with.
- Segment your stakeholders into target groups.
- A localized partnership approach can work best for less visible personal and home habits.
- Look to local partners for expertise in re-use and creative approaches to waste prevention.
- Waste prevention and re-use can benefit partners: Charities, social enterprises and other third sector organisations benefit from re-use by an estimated £430 million* annually.
*Estimated figure. Reference: WRAP (2015) Benefits of Re-use calculator.
Stakeholders are groups or individuals who can affect or are affected by your waste prevention campaign. Your partners in your campaign are those who you cooperate with to achieve shared objectives.
Mapping your key stakeholders and partners will enable you to maximize the effectiveness of campaigns and make use of additional expertise and resources.
Key stakeholders
- Householders: segment according to characteristics and behaviours
- Retailers: it’s important to communicate opportunities from waste prevention to retailers so that they become partner to and not hostile to your campaign
- Re-use sector and beneficiaries of re-use
- Key opinion formers such as council members and local MPs
More information on communicating with stakeholders is in the communicating waste prevention section. Most stakeholders have the potential to become partners in your campaign, so that they are actively promoting your messages and activities.
Key partners
- Local authority departments e.g. Adult Social Care and housing services
- Retailers: offer low waste product options and services, to promote and incentivise low waste actions such as re-usable bags
- Re-use sector: partnership is key to generating more re-use and to help the sector reap financial, social and environmental benefits
- National waste prevention organisations
- Local community groups or faith groups: the Women’s Institute for example run re-use and craft activities
- GPs and health services
Local authorities should remember to look internally to build partnerships with other local authority services. These will also be able to provide information on community groups and other potential external partners.
Many partners will be able to provide you with insight about householders’ existing behaviours and activities. You can work with partners to raise awareness around campaign messages in innovative ways and through talks, events and training. Partners can facilitate development of new waste prevention activities, for example shared storage space for bulk purchases in community premises.
In addition, WRAP has recently launched its Partnerships are key to success (PAKTS) initiative which comprises a suite of material including how-to guides and case studies highlighting the importance of re-use and partnership working.