British Plastics Federation "Love Where You Live" Members Proposal - September 2011

Love Where You Live sets out to re-engage a sense of civic pride across communities, tapping into a desire not only to live in clean and attractive places but also to actively contribute to transforming, enhancing and maintaining those spaces.

The British Plastics Federation has been heavily engaged in developing this groundbreaking programme on behalf of its members and as long term supporters of Keep Britain Tidy. It is recognised that measures do need to be put in place to address the issue and the plastics industry has its part to play. The benefits include:

• a sense of local pride and behavioural change
• a good clean environment
• a single unified approach

Local activities demonstrate positive results with 25-50% reductions in littering in participating areas being achieved-what could we achieve nationally?

LWYL was strongly endorsed in the Government’s Waste Review published this month. The Plastics industry does not itself litter but we do wish to work with other stakeholders to tackle the causes.

What is Love Where You Live?

A national, cross-sector programme that will drive a positive change in littering behaviour which will reduce the amount of litter in England by 2020. Love Where You Live has been developed in response to demands from businesses, national and local government, land managers and civil society organisations that the UK needs a single, unified “anti-littering” approach. 

What are the aims of Love Where You Live?
 
To create a single, widely recognised and action orientated message which:
• Inspires and enables everyone to take action to reduce littering and improve the quality of local places
• Engages the public in changing behaviours and drives local action through fostering pride and understanding
• Raise the profile of how important caring for local places is given its importance to individuals’ quality of life
• Encourages, supports and brings together leaders from government, business, media and civil society.

How does the Love Where You Live logo support the programme?

The Love Where You Live brand was developed in partnership with representatives from Keep Britain Tidy, Government and the private sector.  The logo is much more than an anti-litter message, it is a call to action through which we want to change behaviour and improve our communities.  To use the Love Where You Live logo, supporters must sign up to at least one of the six principles (see appendix) and it is through this commitment we will ensure that the Love Where You Live brand retains its integrity.

Who is taking the lead?

LWYL will be led and its strategy shaped and driven by a core group of business partners working with national government, local government and civil society organisations.  It will be co-ordinated by Keep Britain Tidy with support from government.

Who are the key audiences for the programme?

• Everyone who lives, works and plays has a collective role and responsibility to care for and protect where we live. 
• Those who also have an interest in encouraging citizens and consumers to have pride in where they live, including small, medium and large businesses, local authorities, community groups, schools and those who manage public spaces and government. 
• The public, both those who would welcome active support with tackling the issue of litter where they live and work and those who require education to become more responsible in their attitudes and behaviours towards litter.
• Those in all sectors with responsibilities for leading by example.

How will Love Where You Live drive positive action?

Through an integrated digital platform that includes current and emerging communication trends such as internet, mobile and television.  The platform will be scalable, cost efficient, flexible and will give a level of transparency that allows the programme to be self-regulating.     

Love Where You Live will drive positive engagement and co-create activities with partners and delivery organisations; identifying what they feel passionate about, building on their own actions and securing synergies with their marketing, CSR and operating priorities.  To this end, partners will also be encouraged to drive action independently, through their own internally or externally facing activities, with Keep Britain Tidy providing support, advice and expertise where possible.

How will Love Where You Live utilise the support it attracts?

• Development, maintenance and growth of the digital platform
• Delivery of national engagement activities to contribute to the overall programme objective
• Research that measures impact and effectiveness of the activities
• Establish a national helpline that is available to anyone who needs advice on what they can do personally or how they can support engagement and behaviour change
• Development of new partnerships and operations throughout the UK, drawing together like minded organisations from the same industry to deliver integrated activity, developing new relationships between business, Local Authorities and community groups offering a holistic approach to tackling litter
• Development of programmes for public education and awareness that appropriately integrate Love Where You Live with current government initiatives such as “Localism” and “Big Society”.

 
What is the long term strategy for Love where You Live?
 
Love Where You Live provides a single, inspirational programme which will engage audiences at all levels, from street to national, to reduce the amount of litter in England by 2020.  Changing public behaviours and reducing litter on our streets is not an easy task, but there is determination and a unique opportunity to do so by working together.

Year 1

• Launch LWYL and begin to raise public recognition
• Complete first three national activities, including a Love Where You Live week
• Partner with two other initiatives (e.g. recycle week, Big Lunch)
• Involve and inspire at least 500 organisations and 100,000 people to take action
• Establish a series of “How to” events / webinars to support action

Year 2

• Complete ten national activities
• Roll out full national TV campaign (subject to resources) and exploit potential of Queen’s Jubilee and London 2012
• Start to focus on challenging other litter segments within the population
• Involve and inspire at least 1,500 organisations and 1,000,000 more people
• Commission a piece of return on investment work

Year 3 

• Build on brand to widen focus to related local behaviours (e.g. anti-social behaviour, fly tipping, health)
• Launch major incentive programme
• Air children’s TV series with litter focus (e.g. Modern Wombles)
• Provide evidence of pro-environmental behaviours and localised litter reduction
• Involve and inspire at least 3,000 organisations and 3,000,000 people
• Report on the emerging return on investment work

How will we know if Love Where You Live is succeeding?

• 3,000 organisations will have made their own commitments to the Love Where You Live Charter by 2014
• 3,000,000 individuals have registered their commitment to reducing litter by 2014
• Examples of replicable best practice at all levels
• Change in attitudes and behaviour towards littering from businesses, communities and individuals
• Measured reductions in the incidents of littering
• Measured reductions in the amount of litter based on the national dataset compiled by Keep Britain Tidy

Why the Plastics Industry through the BPF should participate?

• Involvement in LWYL will lead to a more positive image for a caring and responsible plastics industry
• Caring and valuing the local environment and preventing litter
• Changing and improving behaviour of employees in and out of work
• Access to Government Ministers and KBT Ambassadors
• Being at the fore-front of guiding agenda and developing future policy
• Guiding LWYL into other areas, e.g. recycling and behaviour change
• LWYL information sharing at national/local scales
• Creating one voice
• “Proud Partner” accreditation
• Improved local communications and relationship with local communities and potential for local partnership working
• Linked to Health and Safety and local environmental care, e.g. plastic pellets
• Behavioural Change in the general public that could lead to such as increased plastics recycling

What can you contribute?

A long term, committed partnerships of at least 3 years and an option of taking a role in shaping and leading Love Where You Live through BPF having a seat on the programme’s Leadership Board. 

• Ideas and technological know-how
• Ability to spread the message, and help open doors with customers
• Developing a single strong voice to key audiences, e.g. Government
• Work force activation (e.g. local LWYL champions)
• Supporting behavioural change and being seen as a leader
• Working toward the Key Principles as a stakeholder
• Support BPF to be part of the Founders Group (and therefore access to influence future strategy). Could be based on the following guide to donations:

? £1000 for <£10 million UK turnover
? £5,000 for <£50 million UK turnover
? £10,000 for <£100 million UK turnover

Firms above can of course be individually recognised by LWYL as Partners.Others may prefer to direct financial support via the BPF for anonymity.  To help enable this a special account could be established by BPF with contributions sought for £500 per company to LWYL.Why is a partnership driven approach so important?

The success of Love Where You Live will depend on the successes of its partners from the largest companies and civil society organisations through to very local community groups and individuals.  Keep Britain Tidy will build on its many years experience of inclusive partnership working to include, encourage and support delivery partners in taking action.

Appendix – The Love Where You Live Principles

1 – Encourage personal responsibility and positive action

2 – Work in partnership with neighbours to reduce litter

3 – Take responsibility for keeping your own immediate area clean

4 – Raise awareness and education about the prevention of littering

5 – Make it easy for people not to drop litter

6 – Become an active ambassador for clean, green places throughout England and the UK

For more information visit