Original recycling characters join POC’s sustainability conference
With The Wombles, inaugural awards, and a United Nations address and jam-packed agenda all set for Products Of Change’s upcoming Sustainability Conference (SiLC), attendees are in for a treat, no matter where they are on their own sustainability journey.
The Wombles will be making personal appearances as SiLC 2023 makes its return to the Royal Geographical Society in London on Wednesday, 8 November – and the video below shows them getting ready for the event, which is taking place physically as well as digitally.
The Wombles originally appeared in Elisabeth Beresford’s children’s novels in 1968, living in burrows under Wimbledon Common and helping the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in creative ways – after tv series in 1973 and 1996, Altitude Television is understood to have a reboot underway.
And, with the great strides made on naked cards, biodegradable glitter, the use of recycled and recyclable board and envelopes, and even designs made using beach-scavenged plastics and glass, it’s something the greeting card industry is very familiar with.
As testament to this, among those to have already confirmed their attendance at SiLC are card and calendar publishers UK Greetings, Danilo and Carousel Calendars – all POC members and each making encouraging headway in their respective sustainable development journeys.
In an article in PG’s current October edition, POC’s editor and community manager Rob Hutchins acknowledged the strides the greeting card industry has made on the sustainable front.
“News from the Greeting Card Association last month that 80% of greeting cards sold in the UK are now cello-free made for some uplifting reading,” he wrote. “In the same week the UK’s Prime Minister reneged on his green policies and threw the country’s Net Zero 2050 strategy into total jeopardy, it’s heartening to see the greeting card industry taking the position of leadership on the sustainability front.”
The one-day event will tackle some of the biggest conversations in cross-industry sustainability right now, including incoming legislative changes, and the development of new circular economic systems. The full agenda can be seen by clicking here. In-person and digital-only tickets are available to book now.
POC will also be presenting its inaugural Sustainability Awards at the Conference, which are in alignment with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will celebrate some of the boldest and most pioneering companies and individuals in the global brand and licensing sector.
Caroline Petit, deputy director for the UN’s Regional Information Centre, is opening the day’s proceedings with a keynote address on the importance of incorporating the SDGs into business operations today to achieve the 2030 ambitions laid out in the 2015 Paris Accord.
And she’ll be presenting the four awards which recognise the ground-breaking work being carried out to drive sustainable development forwards within the industry, while aligning that work with the SDGs framework.
The winners have been selected by the team of sustainability experts and advisors behind Products Of Change, and ceo and founder Helena Mansell-Stopher said: “It’s a real honour to be able to celebrate those in the industry who are truly driving real innovation through our first Products Of Change SDG awards.
“To have Caroline from the United Nations here to be able to present the awards is a real pinch-me moment, and a milestone for POC.”
SiLC 23 will be hosting a special session – delivered by POC’s James George, ambassador for circularity, and Mike Swain, ambassador for packaging – dedicated to exploring the latest legislation updates which greeting card publishers would really benefit from hearing all about. In-person and digital-only tickets are available to book now.
