School-age sporting stars get unique insight into recycling

As part of an initiative to educate consumers about the importance of recycling and the transition towards a circular economy, global food company, Danone, has handed out unique recycled plastic medals at a school sporting tournament.

More than 1,700 children aged between 10-12 received a medal as part of the ESFA Danone Nations Cup, the English leg of an international football tournament for schools.

To bring the initiative to life, Danone launched its ‘Healthy Habits Recycling Lab’ to educate the children and families taking part in the competition and help change their behaviour long-term.

For use onsite during the tournament, Danone commissioned a recycling bin in the shape of an XXL football trophy and two bespoke machines to demonstrate the process of recycling on-the-spot: a shredder and a moulding machine.

First, the children collected empty water bottles inside the trophy bin, before they were crushed into small flakes inside the shredder. Next, the children were shown a variety of objects that recycled PET can be turned into, e.g. clothing such as football shirts.

The moulding machine, equipped with a bespoke mould, was then used to turn the recycled plastics into new medals that were handed out to the children.

“We were very excited to present something completely new at this year’s ESFA Danone Nations Cup, and we are thrilled with the reactions we got from the young players and their families. They were very engaged and really curious to learn more about recycling,” commented Marie Wendling, PR and Events Manager at Danone.

“We hope this initiative will inspire the children, teach them about the importance of recycling, and help bring about a change in behaviour when they next throw away their plastic bottles.”

The initiative was supported by recycling association RECOUP. Commenting, CEO, Stuart Foster, added: “RECOUP was delighted to be able to take part in this activity as the children could see for themselves how plastic bottles can be recycled into something else. Danone, through the ESFA Danone Nations Cup, has inspired the next generation of plastic recyclers. There was a lot of interest from supporters and players in the Recycling Lab; this was an exciting way to demonstrate the recycling journey.”