Thank you for joining the recycled materials industry’s effort to strengthen our voice by telling the world that recycled materials are everywhere!
Each of the signs and stories showcased on this page highlight our theme – Recycled materials are what we are made of – accompanied by a “scroll” aimed at showing the observer that there are so many other things made with recycled materials!
We hope you like it and will join us in telling the world that Recycled materials are what we are made of!
Learn more about the Common Language for the Recycled Materials Industry
- Download the guide
- Watch a “how to” presentation from our research partners at maslansky + partners
- See what all the buzz is about!
If we all use a common language approach to talking about who we are, what we do and why recycled materials are important, we can build our reputation, drive engagement and improve our likelihood of success.
FAQ: What's this all about?
If we all tell our story in a different way, we risk undermining each other. But if we all consistently tell the same story – and pull in the same direction as an industry – we amplify our message.
Working with Maslansky + partners, we conducted an extensive communication research effort to analyze how the recycling industry is perceived. That examined traditional and social media, focus group feedback and quantitative surveys about the language we use. The results of this research was a reference guide called: “Common Language for the Recycled Materials Industry,” sometimes referred to as “the playbook.”
It is a benefit to ISRI members, as a resource that serves as a guide for how to have successful conversations with anyone outside of the industry – including policymakers, advocacy organizations, business partners, or the general public. This helps ensure we’re all speaking with a common language as the recycled materials industry.
In our busy world, full of information from many sources and on multiple devices, people are being barraged with messages from all sides of a story or issue. If we are going to be heard, we need to be speaking with one voice. If we want that voice to resonate, we need to be speaking the language of our audience in a way that meets them where they are, accounts for their perceptions of the recycled materials industry, and helps them better understand it.
The playbook is a guide, not a script. The example phrases and content throughout are tested best practices that are starting points for you to use and build on in ways that are natural to you. The more you can follow the guidelines, the more you’ll help people see our industry more positively!
Reach out to Holly Arthur harthur@isri.org.
Our ISRI2023 Convention Stories
