Renewing Earth

A higher purpose,
a fresh start

There is more to garbage trucks than meets the eye. As a pioneering waste-to-product company, Renewi is a driving force of the global transition towards a circular economy. On this exciting journey, they have found a trusted companion in Duval Branding.

Bin there, done that?

Not quite. Renewi was founded in 2017 after the merger of Van Gansewinkel Groep (from The Netherlands) and Shanks Group (from Great Britain). The new company’s branding provided us with a varied set of tools, but it primarily focused on practical elements, lacking a truly inspiring claim. This strategic question was the first challenge: how could we change Renewi’s functional perception, adding a deeper meaning to the strict framework of an existing brand with limited experience in emotional communication?

From collector to innovator

Renewi develops techniques to maximally recover resources from waste, preserving valuable assets and limiting the extraction of new materials. “Waste no more” still articulates Renewi’s philosophy, but it struggles to resonate with a broader audience. To bridge that gap, we launch the energising claim “Renewing Earth”. This way, we put the name centre stage and we put it to work as well. We actively share the mission, making people part of the process – and the progress. To change the unsexy frame of ‘waste collector’, we draw attention to the great motivator of all our recycling efforts: a healthier planet. We are doing it for a sound reason.

“Renewing Earth, that’s exactly what we’re doing! A bold claim, but it fully embodies our purpose; bringing new life to used materials.”

Sofie De Vlieger – Head of MarCom & Branding for Renewi Belgium

From strategy to imagery

Translating this shift in messaging, we looked for compelling visuals that unite Renewi’s pioneering innovations, the various fractions of waste and the emotional higher purpose. Yes, we have quite a lot of explaining to do. In collaboration with the 3D artists of SeeYouBaby, we brought the outlines of our ‘spiral’ concept to live. The whirling vortex in the centre of the images symbolises the cutting-edge transformative process that the engineers and chemists of Renewi set up for every group of materials. Presenting the pristine natural elements as a direct result of recycling is obviously a metaphor for the regeneration of resources. The strive for 100% circularity creates space for the world to bloom.

From outdoor to ‘on air’

All collateral for the campaign communicating the Renewing Earth claim revolves around the vigorous 3D spiral visuals. They have stopping power and paint a bigger picture too. They display energy and they convey the story. For radio and cinema, we developed a complementary sonic signature with the expert help from Raf Debraekeleer’s Radio Air Force. As voice over, we wanted to capture and share Mother Earth’s warmth and genuine authority. “No, mom’s not angry, she is just disappointed because she knows you can do better…” That is the moment you realise you have to step up.