Sustainability Campaign · 2026

Friendlier × Seneca, Return. Reuse. Reward.

A low-cost marketing campaign to lift Seneca Polytechnic's Friendlier reusable container return rate from 40% to 65%, combining visual wayfinding, app gamification and on-campus sustainability events.

Client

Friendlier × Seneca Polytechnic

Industry

Sustainability · Higher Ed · Cause

Role

Strategy & Comms

Year

2026

Stack of reusable green takeout containers on a sustainable cafe counter beside a leafy plant.

Case Study · 17

"The biggest competitor isn't another container, it's the trash bin, which requires zero behavior change. The program only wins when the return process feels just as quick and convenient as throwing something out."

Objective

Increase Friendlier container return rates from 40% to 65% by making returns simple, visible and rewarding for students (primary) and faculty (secondary), with awareness reaching 5,000+ students and staff via campus channels within four weeks.

Result

A four-strategy plan evaluated on impact, cost, ease and long-term value, Wayfinding + Gamification recommended, packaged into the 'Return. Reuse. Reward.' campaign with execution mapped to three objectives (awareness, understanding, action) and platform-specific channels.

Deliverables

·Executive summary
·Problem statement + current vs. goal return rates
·Marketing communications objectives (awareness, engagement, action) with targets and tools
·Primary + secondary audience analysis
·5Cs situation analysis
·Four strategic alternatives + evaluation matrix
·Recommended 'Return. Reuse. Reward.' campaign + execution plan
·Communication example mockup ('Your Lunch Can Help the Planet')
·Expected results + conclusion

Skills applied

Cause campaign strategyAudience analysis5Cs analysisStrategic evaluationCampus communications

Challenge

Seneca introduced reusable Friendlier containers to reduce single-use packaging, but return rates were stuck around 40% due to low awareness, confusion about bin locations, limited understanding of the app and low motivation to return.

Insight

The biggest competitor isn't another container, it's the trash bin, which requires zero behavior change. The program only wins when the return process feels just as quick and convenient as throwing something out.

Strategy

●Pick the two highest-impact, lowest-cost alternatives (Visual Wayfinding + Gamification) and bundle them into 'Return. Reuse. Reward.'
●Make returns visible (green bins, floor arrows, table stickers, overhead signs), engaging (QR codes, leaderboards, streaks via the Friendlier app) and social (events during Sustainability Week and Earth Day).
●Map each marketing communication channel to where students already pay attention, Seneca Instagram, campus digital screens, student portal, to avoid added cost.
●Tie each objective to a measurable target (impressions/reach, 20% engagement rate + 500 app interactions, 40% → 65% return rate).

Execution

●Wrote the executive summary and problem statement with current and target return rates.
●Built the audience analysis for students (busy, eco-curious, convenience-driven) and faculty (institutional sustainability champions).
●Ran a 5Cs situation analysis surfacing the convenience competitor and the gamification opportunity.
●Built the evaluation matrix scoring four alternatives across impact, cost, ease and long-term value.
●Designed the recommended campaign and tied each objective to a strategy, resources, channels and rationale.
●Mocked the 'Your Lunch Can Help the Planet' communication piece.

Outcome

●A defensible, low-cost campaign Seneca can run without external agency support.
●Clear ownership for each objective, campus comms, app engagement, sustainability events.
●A template extensible to other sustainability programs across the institution.

Key Learnings

●When behavior change competes with zero-effort defaults (throwing it out), the system must remove friction, not just add motivation.
●Evaluation matrices kill the temptation to ship every idea.

What I Would Do Next

●Pilot the campaign during a single sustainability week and measure return-rate lift before institutional rollout.
●Add a faculty leaderboard to model behavior for students.

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