Getting the word out

Earlier this summer, I talked with the Recycled Materials Association’s (ReMA’s) Robin Wiener and Eric Reller about a toolkit the association launched this year designed to help members illustrate the impact of the recycled materials industry as part of ReMA’s America is Made with Recycled Materials campaign.

Initially designed to educate lawmakers and influencers in Washington about the essential national infrastructure and everyday consumer products made from recycled materials, ReMA developed the toolkit in partnership with Avoq to help its members bring the campaign’s message to the local level.

The resources in the toolkit are available through Google Drive and Canva and include social media posts, posters and other signage, postcards, letterhead and stickers that ReMA members can customize by adding their logos to the ReMA-branded content.

The America is Made with Recycled Materials campaign illustrates the ways people interact with recycled materials daily, from the cars they drive to the bridges they cross to the aluminum cans they drink from and the cardboard boxes that contain their online orders. Wiener says taking this approach makes it simple for people to understand that recycled materials are all around them and that manufacturing relies on recycled materials.

"Recycled materials and the companies that supply them are vital links in the supply chain.”

“By talking about recycled materials in a positive way and about how they’re being used, how they’re contributing to sustainability and to economic impact to their community, that’s all part of our messaging, which we have found to be very successful,” she says. “And that’s what the campaign’s all about that.”

This year, the focus of the campaign has been on raising awareness of the recycled materials industry generally, Wiener says, adding that ReMA is working with its communications committee and board to establish the focus for next year’s campaign.

As ReMA and all recyclers know, recycled materials are an integral part of our daily lives, helping to ensure a stronger economy, supply chain and nation. But what you might not know is that 500,000 new jobs are created by the recycled materials industry and more than 70 percent of automobiles are made from recycled steel.

The campaign shares these facts and more, helping policymakers and legislators to understand and appreciate the impact of the recycled materials industry.

Recycled materials and the companies that supply them are vital links in the supply chain. If you’re a ReMA member, help to raise awareness by accessing the toolkit now at www.recycledmaterials.org/member-toolkit.