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Case study

Launching a new service to support the circular economy

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Organisation type

Membership organisation

Sector

Environment and sustainability

Service

Brand

Content

Copywriting

Marketing

Media buying

Media relations

Social media

Stakeholder engagement

Strategy

Websites

The brief

The Confederation of Paper Industries asked us to develop and deliver a circular economy campaign to launch Papercycle — the UK’s first recyclability assessment method for paper and board packaging. The service helps producers and specifiers understand whether their packaging can be recycled in standard mills, in specialist mills or not at all.Developed following CPI’s Design for Recyclability Guidelines, Papercycle supports organisations preparing for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reforms from 2024. Our task was to raise awareness of the service, highlight its benefits and encourage industry engagement.

Insights and approach

We began with an in-depth immersion into Papercycle to understand how the service supports sustainable service launch goals and why consistent recyclability assessments matter in the context of new EPR regulations.

A workshop with the Papercycle team helped us pinpoint the priority audiences — brand owners, retailers, packaging designers and material developers — and build a clear narrative and messaging framework to motivate action.With this foundation, we created a channel plan spanning social media, targeted media relations, paid placements, stakeholder communications and updates to the Papercycle website. Working as an extension of the in-house team, we produced web copy, engaging social assets and a stakeholder toolkit to support roll-out. Meanwhile, our media team secured opportunities across specialist and mainstream channels to reach the audiences that mattered most.

Results

The campaign delivered strong awareness and industry interest in the new Papercycle service. Coverage across trade, sustainability and packaging media landed clear, positive messages about its role in supporting the circular economy and helping organisations prepare for EPR.Our work helped Papercycle reach decision-makers at scale, drive traffic to the service and underpin wider engagement with CPI’s recyclability guidance.

29

editorial articles

8

paid placements

16

editorial social media posts

38m

opportunities to see

“

We had the privilege of collaborating with Barley on the launch of Papercycle. They communicated our messages effectively and demonstrated an understanding of our mission and aspirations. We were delighted that they showed initiative and reached a bespoke audience. One of the aspects that stood out was their commitment to understanding our values. Throughout our partnership the Barley team consistently upheld exceptional communication, providing frequent updates, sharing valuable insights, and actively seeking our input.

Dimitra Rappou

Executive Director, Sustainable Products, Confederation of Paper Industries

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