‘There is no one standard that entirely covers the circular economy’ – BSI website

Background 

The circular economy is defined by BSI as resources recovered at their highest quality and kept in circulation for as long as possible. Changes in consumer attitudes to consumption in the 2010s led businesses worldwide to seek alternatives. BSI established a 60-member stakeholder committee to tackle this complex issue in 2015. Recognising that there was no one standard focused entirely on the concept of the circular economy and resource management, a groundbreaking practical framework was launched in 2017, BS8001.

Current issues

• Since then, much has changed. Climate change events are more widely acknowledged with public opinion diverging from governments on the urgency for action.
• Customers and regulatory bodies pushing for sustainable business models.
• The Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has caused a worldwide economic shock and a temporary but profound change in lifestyles in many societies. 

New initiatives – one example 

One example: On 13 June 2020 the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), one of the key committee members, brought together 850 organisations to published a vision of a circular economy for plastics with a 2025 target.

How can the circular economy help businesses in 2020? 

Resources are becoming more scarce but manufacturers and distributors in the circular economy are introducing additional value-added services.

Manufacturing industry could save 10 to 15 percent on direct materials required for production by refurbishing, reusing and recycling.

In product development, businesses will need to consider the whole product lifecycle and the supply chain. There are several areas and BSI can support through standards and development.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Products can be monitored and analysed remotely. Long-lasting, durable products can be developed that reduce waste

Robotics

Yield can be increased and product life extended.

3D printing

Product life can be extended by the on-demand production of spare parts.

Three BSI competitors (by organic search results, UK and US) 

ISO 

Standard in development, 14 May 2020

Main competitor 

Techstreet

Standard covers end of life material 2015

SAE 

Various technical papers 2017

Key questions  

• Why might a customer want to use a circular economy approach in their business?
• What are the pain points for businesses using or thinking of using a circular economy approach?
• Why might a customer want to use best practice standards for their circular economy?
• How can BSI support them to adopt best practice standards?
• What has changed since 2017?
• Is there now a case for a full standard, a tool or other product that helps customers?
• Who are the current customers and users and what are their pain points now?
• Can the BS8001 framework be adapted to fit new requirements?
• Is there a market in targeting different customer bases within the BS8001 framework?
• How can other relevant BSI frameworks adapt to support this?
• Can a training product or a practical tool be developed, like SCM™?
• Is there a basis for opportunity recognition?

Proposed customer research framework

• BSI is likely to use a foundational research approach that aligns the company around a shared comprehension of each of the user group’s needs and challenges.
• This groundwork helps the product and design teams to think more strategically about the holistic user experience and identify better opportunities for improved user engagement with the product. Rooting their decisions in customer empathy builds confidence in the choices they make, which helps drive faster and more strategic product development to truly addressing user needs.
• This framework is rooted in the concept that: Attitudes shape situations, which in turn shape experiences.

Personas influence JTBD which influence a customer’s experiential journey with our product

Customer research framework funnel – see header image

At the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, I was involved in digitalising a number of aspects of its 100+ face-to-face services over a two-week period. Our advice helpline for people with criminal records issues changed overnight. It became inundated with calls from prisoners who were facing lockdown with the virus in prisons while basic essentials ran out or who were facing a host of new problems on release.

With the helpline team, I was able to develop FAQs and make comprehensive updates to its advice on the Nacro website. I adapted a responsive feature that I’d previously commissioned. This helped me to create an information hub with tab features to make the information as accessible as possible.

In terms of uptake, unique user views of this information have increased by 17% per week since launch.

During the Coronavirus pandemic, Nacro’s key workers continue to work with housing users, students and all our other service users. Students are supported to work from home while tenants are still supported face-to-face but personal protective equipment is required. This of course presents huge challenges for service users, especially given that many are vulnerable already.

To support this work, we created a new web section to feature the successes and challenges of continuing to support service users through this challenging time, asking staff to contribute their own content and perspectives. The objective is to reassure service users and more widely to raise awareness with commissioners.

This supports the work of Nacro’s substance misuse service which is a Local Authority contract that Nacro operates. The need was for a joined-up city-wide service to serve a range of people, such as hard-to-reach communities, working people, children. Many people will only attend because they have a trusted relationship with their key worker but there was a clear requirement for a web presence that could be discovered easily by a number of audiences; referrers, individuals and parents.

I planned the concept and managed every stage.

The consultation phase revealed that the young people we were trying to reach felt alienated and ignored by the type of communication that adults required. This led to a separate targeted product.

Recovery Near You

Wolverhampton360

Supporting materials for network of local surgeries, pharmacies

Social media

The campaign was launched to highlight the adverse effects of releasing prisoners on Fridays and the higher likelihood this will lead to reoffending than releases on other weekdays. This is due to the difficulty of being able to put in place all the basics needed within one day, followed by a weekend when there are no services available: housing, food, toiletries, medication and a probation appointment.

The campaign stemmed from a policy initiative and research among peer organisations as well as our own services’ outcomes.

I had been planning to step up our content to increase engagement. Our surveys among the general public showed that the issue was thought of negatively until the effects on an individual and society were explained. An impactful piece of storytelling was needed to lobby for change and video was the preferred medium. Our talented in-house videographer produced a video using the excellent feature film quality Osmo Pocket system.

This instantly increased engagement with the campaign and was recommended at the influential Justice Select Committee as a must-watch the day after launch.

Using excerpts, we were able to create a social media campaign around #endFridayreleases primarily on our Instagram and Twitter accounts, as well as embedded content on a dedicated new section of our website.

Nacro’s policy team raised the issue with Rory Stewart MP, the then Justice Minister. It remains under review although the Ministry of Justice is continuing a dialogue with Nacro.

We’ve relaunched a website and brand aimed at young people, parents and carers, to give them information and support on drugs and alcohol. It has been developed with young people who use the service and their peers.

Wolverhampton360

The intention is to use a mobile website scrollable page format and plain language to make the information as accessible as possible. A strong brand design helps to carry the message through to physical materials and social media. Working within a small budget, the aim is to give the effect of a range of digital products and make a big impact.

It is also seen as important that it is distinct from its parent organisation, Recovery Near You, as most young people do not see themselves as having a problem which could lead to addiction and do not associate themselves with materials aimed at adults who have these problems. It is also for young people who are living with others around them who may have addiction issues, such as parents. Part of its purpose is to provide advice, part is to aid a discussion and part is to drive traffic to the service’s helpline.

Here’s a screenshot from when the website was part of recoverynearyou.org.uk. The website was built on its WordPress template and turned into a long, scrollable website page but retaining its simple menu structure.

We have refreshed the look of our Recovery Near You drug and alcohol support and prevention service following a review with service users and the commissioner. The new look appears on the website and physical marketing materials. It uses calmer colours and more icons, which are used to convey some of the difficult subject matter more clearly.

Here is the old look on the website:

Working with leaders and trustees, we secured funding to run a digital search marketing campaign aimed at improving numbers in Nacro’s Southampton-based education service, Totton College. This has enabled the marketing team to work with key college staff and consult with young people to plan the campaign.

Run alongside a learner recruitment events and schools liaison, the result has been a 300% increase in open day attendees and a 200% increase in course enquiries.

Improvements across the board have just led Nacro to gain Ofsted ‘Good’ rating, an especially outstanding achievement as it works with many students and learners who have not thrived in mainstream education and are described as hard-to-reach.

Here are Nacro tutors and learners with their Ofsted certificates.

With a recent upsurge in news about the criminal justice system, Nacro’s media team have been able to take the opportunity to put forward spokespeople more regularly on national news outlets: BBC, Sky and Channel 4. This has raised our profile, enabling our policy and public affairs work to create a wider impact for the first time and improving working methods between the communications teams in Nacro.

The policy manager has been able to identify an issue affecting many service users: they are regularly released without any support services being put in place, setting them up to fail and often resulting in a relapse into further criminal activity and jail again. This can come about if they are released on a Friday, when support cannot always be put in place in time for the weekend by the service manager.

With additional input from the communications assistant we have developed a campaign to bring together many organisations’ experiences of this issue, including our own, called End Friday releases, with the aim of influencing a change of government policy. The launch, on Twitter and through partner organisations’ social media channels, engaged a large number of organisations and professionals and set the scene for a number of video case studies as the campaign progresses.