Eliminate waste at your place. With this little piece of advice, One Less Bottle is on a mission to revolutionize the way consumers shop for everyday essentials and update their relationship status with the material from single use to reuse. Comparing this sustainability initiative to the evolution of the shopping bag, One Less Bottle believes that all it takes is a shift in mindset. To date, the team has saved 1,500+ bottles from landfill. Teaming up with Aussie retail properties, Parkmore Shopping Centre (Parkmore – Keysborough) and Barkly Square (Brunswick), One Less Bottle is encouraging shoppers across the state to join in the zero-waste movement by refilling their eco-friendly home and body products at one of its conveniently located automatic refill stations. 

Parkmore is home to a pair of those refill stations—one for home-cleaning products and one for body-care products. 

According to One Less Bottle’s website, when it comes to participating in the process, the opportunities are endless: Refill at any time (day or night) and use a bottle, jar, container, or bucket. After locating the nearest refill station, consumers have to follow three simple steps: Select the product (press the button to choose the desired refill volume of either 500ml or 1 liter), pay for the selection, refill the bottle by placing it under the allocated nozzle, and feel to repeat regularly.

Offering accurate fillings and competitive prices, One Less Bottle sources all of the products in Parkmore’s stations from Victoria-based suppliers. Although primarily targeting eco-conscious consumers who are willing to seek out alternatives to big-box stores and mainstream supermarkets as well as travel to purchase such products, the stations also attract the attention of conventional shoppers who have yet to discover or consider eco-friendly options.

As a partnership, One Less Bottle and Parkmore have both relied heavily on word of mouth and social media to promote this initiative. The center has also focused on attracting and converting existing shoppers via in-center signage and activations, public announcements, and online event listings. Considering direct feedback from shoppers and retailers, in addition to social media engagement, the public response has been extremely positive, with shoppers interested to learn more about the products, pricing, and approach to shopping. The center has achieved strong reach through four unique posts across external community-based Facebook pages. Notably, Parkmore’s page posts indicate 11,138 reach and 2,440 engagement. 

“We understand our role includes looking after the environment to meet the needs of current and future generations and ensuring our assets and operations contribute to a positive future for all our stakeholders. GPT customers provide consistent feedback that our focus on social and environmental sustainability initiatives has inspired and supported them to implement similar actions in their own lives and so the One Less Bottle initiative is a natural fit at Parkmore,” said center manager, Elizabeth Galle.

As a bonus, there has been no cost to the center to deliver this initiative. Parkmore provides in-center space to One Less Bottle, which collects the sales from the stations—A$6.99 (or US$5.40) per liter.

Across industries, sustainability and corporate responsibility continue to top the list of business values, practices, and commitments. With this in mind, Parkmore has implemented a number of other consumer initiatives at its property, including BYO coffee cups, bag library, and eco-bag craft:

BYO coffee cups: Working with all of its café and coffee shops, the center provides a 50-cent discount to shoppers who bring their own cup or mug.

Bag library: Offering a public drop-off point where shoppers can leave single-use or reusable bags to assist those who have forgotten their own reusable bag when stopping by to do their household shopping, Parkmore supports the transition of consumer behavior, initiated by the state government’s plastic bag ban.

Eco-bag craft: Inviting families to bring a plastic bag to its craft station to swap for an eco-friendly calico one, Parkmore’s school holiday activation allowed students to personalize their bags using a variety of provided materials.

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Described as a clothing company for other designers, Atacac aims to revolutionize the fashion industry and change the way those involved design, produce, present, and sell garments. As its “Different from the Outside In” tagline suggests, the fashion studio is rooted in simplicity, movement, and kinetic garment construction. Said plainly, the future is here. 

A quick glance of the homepage and it’s evident Atacac’s online presence mirrors its mission, philosophy, and forward-thinking. With a soundtrack reminiscent of the Stranger Things show and a pair of back-to-back figures passing for avatars, the site transcends art and technology. Click left to see a photo of the man and woman portrayed as rivals, experience a sharp contrast in color between black and different shades of orange, and browse the brand’s latest collection: Transitions in the Anthropocene.

Offering unlimited combinations or one capsule wardrobe, the collection features nine unique garments composed of four natural fabrics. Click right to shop the collection at Sansar.com, where users can create their own product, outfit, or attire thanks to Atacac’s collaborative approach, belief in open-source fashion, and Sharewear option. Sharing the pattern and 3D model of a long list of garments, Atacac gives designers and consumers the opportunity to download the goods for free.

In addition to supporting open-source fashion, the company’s implementing of digitalization, practicing of Made in Sweden, and applying of a pre-order price strategy help to reduce waste. Under the “Company” section and below the “Design” and “Sustainability” links, the tab “Price Model” clearly describes its reasons for using this strategy and compares the traditional price model to the Atacac price model via a graph.

Following the success of its Free Food Parcel scheme, which delivered food packages free of charge to local residents in need during the initial lockdown, Kings Mall Shopping Centre (London, UK) and Hammersmith Business Improvement District (BID) expanded their partnership to host Free Touring Kerbside Entertainment. Described as the next stage of a community-focused response to COVID-19, this program tackled the nation-wide lack of access to arts and culture with its door-to-door service of live entertainment. With venues closed and shows on hold, the community has been denied the pleasure of film, theatre, music, dance, poetry, and art. As a result, the team organized free live entertainment not only on the streets and in the public areas of Hammersmith, but on residents’ doorsteps.

Since the impact of COVID-19 has been equally challenging for both residents and performers, throughout August and early September, the team worked with artists and companies such as the English Touring Opera, H&F ArtsFest, and DanceWest to bring life and energy back into its area twice a week. Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, participating artists and performers made a number of separate visits during each session. From communal gardens and public squares to office foyers and housing association blocks, this service caused smiles, laughs, and tears. Supported by e-cargobikes as its transport partner, Touring Kerbside Entertainment prioritized offering engagement and promoting sustainability. Using the same entry process as for Free Food Parcel, recipients requested a performance via a dedicated online form and those selected received e-mail confirmation to schedule a date and time. Following the selection process, the team devised appropriate itineraries according to the addresses and neighborhoods of registered residents. Each afternoon, the performers started and ended in a public space to ensure that a general audience experienced the same live entertainment.  

With the need to adhere to social distancing, the team was unable to organize the scope and level of outdoor performance that it had done in the past with events such as its Summer Festival. Therefore, Kings Mall and Hammersmith BID sourced entertainers that could be transported easily and avoided blocking pavements, impacting lines, and/or effecting traffic stops. Collaborating with a number of organizations that have a strong foothold within the West London entertainment district, the programming and promoting of Touring Kerbside Entertainment took place via e-mail, website, and social media. In addition to generating awareness via word of mouth from organizers, performers, and recipients, Hammersmith BID covered the activities on its own website through its news section. Requiring no spending, all advertising of this initiative consisted of earned media. In particular, an unprompted tweet by television and radio presenter, Tony Anstis for the initiative led to a great amount of engagement on social media.   

As an indicator of success, throughout the program’s duration, all available slots were either pre-booked or filled by those interested in taking part. For individuals and businesses unable to experience or attend a live performance, the team created a screen installation in Lyric Square, which provided an additional physical outlet for entertainment. Showing clips and scenes from Touring Kerbside Entertainment, the screen attracted shoppers, workers, visitors, and strolling families. 

“[Through Touring Kerbside Entertainment, we have continued positioning Hammersmith BID as a community resource as well as focusing on B2B. This would provide added value to our levy payers, as it would expand our marketing reach, raise our profile, and allow a new audience to engage with the BID’s market messaging],” noted Julia Gosling, head of marketing and events for Hammersmith BID. 

“[Many of our levy payers rely on footfall in the town center so our engaging more closely with the community would serve as a long-term advantage for them. We already have a B2C tool, the Privilege Card, and this initiative has built toward the success of the loyalty program].” 

More than seeking to achieve conversion into retail sales or new shoppers, this collaboration aimed to build a sense of community and improve wellbeing. As evidenced by its Made in H&F (Hammersmith & Fulham) pop-up boutique, Kings Mall constantly strives to foster “a deep current of creativity” and provides a marketplace for local artists, makers, creators, and craftspeople to display and sell their creations. A dedicated space to showcase art, jewelry, accessories, bags, cards, urban wear, and upcycled furniture, Made in H&F is a popular stop among shoppers in search of a special gift.

Described as “being based on the ground” in Hammersmith, it’s believed that the BID is able to connect with its community in a way that can’t be done only digitally. Supported by Parcels not Pollution, its zero-emission delivery service, the BID intends to continue working on the ground and in the community. Next on the list: Implementing its Parcels to Home program to assist residents and businesses throughout the second lockdown and beyond. 

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Free Food Parcel:

• Executed in partnership with Kings Mall and Sainsbury’s throughout the month of July
• Delivered by Parcels not Pollution within the borough on a “first come, first serve” basis
• Essentials available: Milk (1.000 pints), bread (500 loaves), fresh produce, and eggs (3,000)
• In total, 500 basic food parcels were delivered directly to local residents’ homes across the borough

Parcels to Home:

• This new seasonal program will feature an assisted shopping service and a click-and-collect service to serve both residents and businesses throughout the holiday season
• Delivered by Parcels not Pollution within the borough free of charge for residents or business owners who would like to deliver direct to their friends/ family or customers, respectively 
• As part of its Shop Local Shop Safe campaign, Parcels to Home is an exclusive service for Privilege Card members 
• Dates for this program: November 16 through December 25

(Source: Hammersmith BID.)

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