Consumer Insights from a Customer Journey Study for Wecycle

Under the name Wecycle, the OPEN Foundation runs campaigns to encourage the collection of electronic waste in the Netherlands. Electronic waste includes all discarded electrical appliances, large and small, lighting fixtures, and batteries. In this way, the OPEN Foundation fulfills the legal producer responsibility for e-waste. In the Netherlands, there are 13,000 Wecycle collection points, such as municipal recycling centers, petting zoos, and (thrift) stores.

Despite a significant increase in collection in recent years, more will be needed to achieve the legal targets and make the Netherlands more circular. This prompted the OPEN Foundation to gain a better understanding of the various consumer life events that occur and the types of electronic waste generated during those periods.

“The research identified specific market segments with their own target audiences. This allows campaigns to be procured much more efficiently and developed ‘tailored’ to specific needs.” - Jacqueline Reinders, Marketing Coordinator, Stichting OPEN

The research was conducted using a so-called “qualitative-quantitative” approach. First, an online community was established to gather qualitative insights. These results were then quantified through a quantitative online survey of 1,062 Dutch residents aged 18 or older. The research shows that a large majority of Dutch people have primarily positive associations with a circular economy, sustainability, and environmental friendliness, even though a large majority are unfamiliar with the term “e-waste.” The term “e-waste” has therefore since been replaced by “electrical waste.” The most important finding, however, was that the life event of moving (particularly house clearances and moves due to divorce and cohabitation) generates the most discarded appliances and light bulbs. Furthermore, information was obtained regarding, among other things, the types of drop-off points and the motivations for whether or not to recycle.

With insight into consumer life events, the goal was to ensure Wecycle is effectively present at the right moments with the right message. In this way, the organization aims to respond even more effectively to the awareness of consumers dealing with e-waste at specific moments. Research showed, among other things, that most Dutch people view a national day for returning e-waste positively; Wecycle has now planned a national day for 2023 in addition to National Wecycle Week, which has existed since 2019, for the coming year as well.

After all, there’s a lot of e-waste in the workplace as well. The majority of Dutch people view this “clean up your (home) office day” positively, as it allows them to drop off all e-waste from the office or their home workspace in one go. Wecylce has actively put the results to work, and in January 2023, the “always on” campaign focused on electronic waste during specific moving periods will launch around the platform watismijnapparaatwaard.nl.