The results are in! A look back at 2024
During October 2023 recruitment commenced for a small number of schools across Greater Manchester to be part of a unique pilot programme which promoted reuse and refill within schools and their wider communities. The project was supported by GMCA and delivered by Pupils Profit.
Ten schools expressed an interest to participate, and six were selected to host a shop and submit regular feedback to Pupils Profit for evaluation. The remaining four schools received £200 of initial stock and training materials without regular data monitoring.
The project started with schools in January 2024 and continued until 31st December 2024. A series of blogs detailing the progress of the School Eco Shops can viewed on the Green City Website. Pupils Profit produced a final report based on data from the six monitored schools.
Initial training and business planning
Through this unique pupil-led programme, GMCA wanted to see how school-based ECO Refill Shops could achieve an impact in reducing plastic waste, build children’s skills and knowledge in a closed loop business, and change behaviour in the wider school community of parents, carers and staff.
More than seventy children in the six schools worked in teams to plan, launch and operate circular school-based refill shops. All pupils followed the Pupils Profit Enterprise Training to create a business plan, apply for specific job roles, and to launch and operate their refill shops independently.
Each school had a Staff Supervisor to support the children when needed. Schools selected up to 20 children from Years 4-6 to participate in the programme. Most schools choose to work with their ECO Teams or single year groups. Read our blog for more information.
New School Refill Shops begin to open
Most of the schools launched their refill shops in February or March 2024. Schools were asked to open once a month, on the same day e.g. last Thursday of the month, to establish a regular opening pattern for customers. 500ml of refill products can take a little while to use up, so a monthly opening works well, and is less of a time draw for staff. Piper Hill Post 16 SEN also ran a weekly shop in a community space in Stretford Shopping Mall.
Primary Schools opened their shops a total of 30 times, in addition to Piper Hill’s frequent Stretford Mall and Pop-Up openings. Read our blog for more information.
In September 2024, as the project crossed a new school year, some schools kept their project teams. Others trained new members, with pupils teaching and passing on their knowledge to the new cohorts. During winter, many schools saw a decrease in shop customers as the weather became colder and wetter.
Project Measurement
Progress of the shops was measured against three project outcomes: reduction of single-use plastic waste, changes in community behaviour and development of children’s skills.
Reduction of Single-Use Plastic Waste
The results demonstrate increased reuse through refilling at school shops. The shops sold refills of hand wash, body wash and washing up liquid, laundry liquids, hair care, a small selection of plastic free boxed soaps and a small selection of paper packaged healthy snacks. A total of 562 containers were saved from waste through refilling into old containers (this data includes liquid refills and soap/hair care bars).
“It has helped the children about how important it is to recycle and reuse and about caring and looking after our environment.” St Mary’s CoE Primary School
Development of Skills and Confidence
Children developed core transferable skills of teamwork, problem solving and creativity, as well as developing confidence and interpersonal skills
- Green skills are a requirement of the new Department for Education (DfE) Climate Action Plans.
- Hamer’s Eco Refill Shop received praise in their Ofsted report for its exceptional programme; “The school has designed an exceptional programme to support pupils’ personal development. The school has brought learning to life creating a ‘refill shop’ for the local area.”
- Piper Hill Post 16 SEN School enhanced students’ skills by setting up their ECO Refill Shop within a community space in a shopping mall
“The children’s focus on running a business has been excellent. The children really enjoy the idea of running the shop. We have included a uniform swap shop now that runs alongside the eco shop and this is starting to help support the reuse element we want to focus on.” Hamer Primary School
Wider impact on Community Behaviour Change
- Parents view refill shops positively.
- Many who hadn’t considered refilling before started doing so.
- Survey 2 conducted in July 2024, shows 77% of respondents who’d used the school shop had not visited another refill shop in the last 6 months, and 83% considered the shop had helped them refill more.
- The final survey (December 2024) indicates the school shop influenced consumers to choose plastic-free products, reduce food waste, and repair items instead of buying new ones.
“Keen to help the environment and promote plastic free to my children • My child is more aware, it is talked about at home and we’re generally more conscious. • Motivated my son to collect litter on the walks to and from school • Reminder that we need to all take responsibility for caring for the environment” Parents/carers, Woodbank Primary School
Drivers for positive change
Funding this pilot and evaluating the data and feedback has identified important factors for driving change. The following are key to success in future programs:
- School staff commitment to reducing waste and building children’s skills.
- Clear school structures with sufficient staff time to support, coordinate, and integrate a refill shop within the school is needed.
- High-quality training resources that engage children.
- Convenience of refilling during the school run.
- A range of affordable, popular eco-friendly products.
- Strong parent/carer communities supporting their children.
- Wider education and encouragement of the school community about refill as a shopping option.
Outcomes of the Pilot
The Greater Manchester School ECO Refill Shop Pilot 2024 has demonstrated the significant impact that school-based refill shops can have on reducing plastic waste, fostering children’s skills, and promoting sustainable behaviours within the community.
The project not only highlights the importance of reducing single-use plastics but also demonstrates the value of hands-on, pupil-led initiatives in driving environmental change. The positive reception from parents, with 95% intending to continue using the shops, shows the potential for these habits to extend beyond the school environment and become ingrained in daily life.
The commitment of the participating schools to continue their refill shops beyond the initial year is a testament to the programme’s success. The funding and support provided by GMCA and Pupils Profit have been crucial in enabling schools to participate and collect valuable data, which will inform future initiatives.
In summary, the School Eco Refill Shops have proven to be a practical and effective approach to climate action, offering a scalable model for other schools and communities to adopt. By empowering children to lead the way in sustainability, we can inspire lasting change and create a more environmentally conscious future.
Further information on Refill in Greater Manchester
For more information on the programme email the GMCA Environment Team.
