Background to GM School Eco Refill Shops
Since October 2024, GMCA with ethical enterprise Pupil Profit, have recruited a total of 25 schools to participate in a School Eco Refill Shop pilot, enabling young people to gain the skills and tools to play a part in tackling the climate and ecological emergency, and be part of the UK’s low-carbon circular economy.
GMCA funded a package for schools which included enterprise training resources, ongoing support, reporting framework and products to enable a fully-stocked shop for the school community.
Last year, a new cohort of 219 children in 15 schools undertook enterprise training, provided by Pupil Profit, in their classrooms with the majority of schools launching their shops by the February half-term (some managed to launch even before the Christmas break). Between them they have saved 2000+ containers from waste in addition to the many other benefits for pupils working on the enterprise including increased confidence and social skills when speaking about their project to others.
Commitment = Success
Schools do need to be open to the time commitment needed to sustain the shop openings for a minimum of once a month with continued marketing and supporting their pupil Enterprise Teams over an initial 12-month period. However, all schools have listed the many benefits that hosting a shop has had on their pupils:
- Fits into school’s values
- Allows the children to be a bigger part of their local community, allows them to engage with members of the public who they may usually engage with
- Teaches the children responsibility
- Teaches the children respect and pride for our planet and enables them to have discussions around this with customers / parents / carers
- Gives them an understanding of plastics and how they can be reused.
- It helps to reinforce our school values (respect, responsibility, happiness, resilience, pride).
- Encourages social and listening skills.
- Encourages teamwork, friendships and social interactions across the school
- Teaching of economic wellbeing – money, change, budgeting, identifying coins.
The journey of the first and second wave of school shops is documented on the Green City website.
Keeping the shop open for business
Schools continue to trade throughout the school year, varying their shop openings fitting in with high footfall within the school, usually pick-up time. There is an expectation to open at least once a month, though one school, Piper Hill, continue to host their shop independently externally weekly.
The ultimate objective of the programme is for the school shops to make enough profit to sustain a full and popular product range and for pupils to mentor the next cohort of Enterprise Team pupils, enabling them to continue opening their school shops beyond the 12-month pilot time period.
Progress of the shops is measured by Pupils Profit against three project outcomes: reduction of single-use plastic waste, changes in community behaviour and development of children’s skills.
Next steps for schools
The GMCA Environment Team would like to hear from schools interested in hosting a School Eco Refill Shop from November 2025 for a 12-month time period. Please email Greencityschools@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk with your school’s Expression of Interest.
For further information on the Greater Manchester School Eco Refill Shop programme: Green City website.
