In its latest column for Progressive Party, NABAS explores working together for the greater good.
Have you ever thought about how much more you can achieve when you work with others who share the same goal? Whether it’s something as simple as splitting one task between multiple people, or allocating out certain actions to various pairs of hands, it is true that many hands make light work.
The same applies when we look at ways to make our industry stronger, more responsible and proactive. One of the criticisms levelled at the party industry is around waste and littering, with emotive images of sea creatures who have ingested balloons demonstrating this point all too clearly. And while some of us do our best to repurpose our waste materials, it can feel like a pointless exercise when the impact on our own is so small.
NABAS, an independent trade association for the UK balloon and party industry, feels strongly that it should be working together on initiatives that work for members and for the wider industry.
We have recently launched an exciting benefit for our members with Terracycle, which specialises in finding ways to process traditionally hard to recycle products into valuable raw materials that can be reused in other projects. Being able to recycle on this scale is a huge benefit to us all and because we believe so strongly in this initiative, we are currently heavily subsidising the recycling boxes to encourage our members to participate by making it as affordable as possible.
The environmental benefits are crystal clear – more waste into recycling streams means less waste into landfill. It’s a no brainer. But in addition, our members who join the scheme can promote their sustainability credentials to their corporate enquiries, making our members a more attractive option.
Plus, for clients who feel strongly about recycling, being able to return their balloons and party products after their event, knowing that they will be responsibly processed, can encourage loyalty with our members, potentially resulting in a longer-term uplift in sales.
At our launch evening, our members were very excited about the potential of this initiative, with additional ideas already being discussed to publicise this opportunity within their local communities. Being able to share with the public that we offer a credible option for balloon waste disposal has to be positive for both our members and the wider balloon and party sector.
Looking to the future, we would love to build this into an initiative with more extensive industry support, where manufacturers, wholesalers and decorators all play a vital role in doing as much as we can to minimise the long-term environmental impact from the products we sell.
As we have said before, we can achieve so much more and drive the industry forward when we work together towards one clear goal. If you would like to be a part of this scheme, please do email us at chair@nabas.co.uk and we will happily have a chat about working together to make this initiative impactful and effective. Will your pair of hands help to make balloon and party waste recycling across the UK as easy as possible? We hope so.
