Recharge The Outdoors Update

Battery manufacturer GP Batteries launched its ‘Recharge the Outdoors’ campaign to the UK outdoor industry last year. In a bid to reduce the 600 million batteries thrown away in the UK every year, the bold move was the first time a battery manufacturer has challenged an entire industry to switch to eco-friendly rechargeable batteries. One year on, the campaign is proving popular with retailers and consumers alike as GP continues to push its message across the industry.

It is estimated that over 20,000 tonnes of batteries are thrown away and sent to landfill sites in the UK each year. When batteries end up in landfill, the heavy metals in them can turn toxic and seep into the environment. The ‘Recharge the Outdoors’ campaign appeals to the outdoor industry to look at changing its attitude towards disposable batteries. As well as asking outdoor retailers to only sell rechargeable batteries, it’s asking outdoor consumers to make the switch to only buying rechargeable batteries and to recycle single-use disposable batteries. 

For GP Batteries (UK) Ltd, James Tuck said, “The campaign has been particularly successful with independents who are able to make quick decisions – and personal ones, such as wanting to reduce the amount of single-use products they sell. Educating consumers is key in converting them from single-use to rechargeable.

“However, as consumers are increasingly buying products from brands that align with their own personal beliefs; calling for less plastic, less single-use products and for brands and retailers to be more environmentally conscious, we believe communicating the benefit of rechargeable technology and committing to only selling rechargeable batteries is an important move for an industry whose customers love the environment.”

He added, “As part of the on-going campaign we are currently redesigning our packaging to stop using plastics altogether. Even though the plastic we currently use was the most environmentally friendly and most recyclable available at the time we launched, we want consumers to be confident that when they buy a GP product they are being as environmentally friendly as possible.

“And we’re not stopping there in our mission to be green. In the last year GP was awarded the Green Manufacturing Award – the first Chinese battery manufacturer to win this award. Additionally, we are looking at working with global environmental charities to see if we can lessen the impact our company has on the planet; either through planting trees, ocean clean-up etc, so that when anyone buys any GP product, it will have a positive impact!”