Pacific Centre Mall, in the high-fashion heart of Vancouver, is not a place you associate with sorting trash. Yet that is exactly what they do, from the cardboard, plastic and returnables from merchants and customers to the organic compost diversion in the food court. Throw in a bit of waste-to-energy from the stuff that can’t be segregated and you have a Zero Waste Shopping Mall.
So how do you tell that story in a way that appeals to the fashionistas? (And still include the sustainability branding of parent company Cadillac Fairview…?)
Well, everyone loves a good discount.
By framing the ‘Green At Work’ message in a 100% OFF price tag format, Unicycle Creative got instant shopper attention and described Pacific Centre’s waste diversion rate in one clean graphic.
The team at Pacific Centre went one step further, designing an in-mall Recycled Runway Fashion Show, using local artists to create a stunning ready-to-wear-it-again collection. Unicycle designed a pair of banners to frame the show and communicate key zero waste messages.
Some of my deeper green readers may look down their noses at the idea of such a bastion of consumerism dipping a pedicured toe into the sustainability pond. But I see it this way: Shopping isn’t disappearing anytime soon. Putting sustainability on the radar of fashion shoppers is an important step in creating the conditions that will put pressure on all parts of the retail supply chain to green up their act. Zero Waste is a solid start.
It might as well look good on them.
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