When schools, universities and other educational institutions undergo a rebrand, the new identity must be applied to a wide range of items to ensure brand continuity across all touchpoints. This frequently results in large amounts of stationery, uniforms and media becoming obsolete due to its bearing the discontinued identity. In this blog post, we look at how institutions can dispose of this material responsibly and safely.
Why do schools and universities rebrand?
Schools, colleges and universities may rebrand for several reasons:
- They want to refresh an image that has become tired
- They are transforming from a school to an academy
- They want a new brand to signal a shift in academic focus or development
- They want to attract a new or more diverse range of students
- They want to present an image that will attract wider funding through endowments
- They want to draw a line under previous poor publicity or academic failures
Other reasons for partial rebranding might include:
- redesigning the school uniform or sportswear to use more environmentally friendly textiles or provide a wider range of clothing styles
- creating new, updated media to promote the school to stakeholders.
What items might schools or universities rebrand? 
The range of items that a school or university might apply branding to will largely depend on the type of institution. Schools are more likely than colleges or universities to have a branded uniform, although they are all likely to have some form of branded sports kit.
Higher education is more likely to produce its own printed stationery. They are also more likely to offer a range of merchandise to students and alumni who wish to reinforce and remember their associations with their alma mater.
Printed and digital media used for promotional, educational and examination purposes is also likely to be branded.
Why must schools and universities rebrand responsibly?
There are two factors that educational institutions need to consider when disposing of redundant material –security and sustainability.
Security
SecurityEducational establishments use branded documents and media to identify the material with the establishment and add authenticity to the information it contains. Misuse can potentially result in fraud – fake certificates, for example – and other types of criminal activity which can damage the institution’s reputation.
Any uniform identifies the wearer with the organisation or institution to which it belongs and their behaviour off-campus is a reflection of its integrity. Antisocial or criminal behaviour committed by a person wearing a uniform can be taken up by the institution if they are a student, but if it is worn by someone not associated with the school, the institution has no means of protecting its reputation or the public.
Obsolete uniforms, particularly those worn by staff, can also present a security threat as in the wrong hands they can be used to gain unauthorised access to premises and contact with students.
IT equipment and media may also contain branded material, or be replaced during the rebranding process. This is another area where schools and universities need to be watchful, as sensitive and confidential information must not be allowed to fall into the public domain.
Sustainability
SustainabilityIt is no longer acceptable to dispose of obsolete branded material in landfills, particularly when the material is easily recyclable.
Paper is one of the most widely recycled materials, and modern school uniforms are increasingly manufactured from textiles that are both made from recycled fibres and can be easily recycled again.
By using a sustainable method of securely disposing of redundant branded items, schools and universities can reduce waste and contribute to a more circular economy.
How can schools and universities rebrand responsibly?
The surest way of guaranteeing all branded items are disposed of securely and sustainably is to use a professional waste disposal and recycling company such as Avena Group.
We have developed a range of secure disposal and recycling services that are ideally suited to the education sector and support our “zero waste-to-landfill” policy while ensuring your brand is not misused.
SECURALL®
SECURALL is a secure disposal and recycling service for all paper-based materials. BS7858 security-vetted Avena personnel can either periodically empty lockable disposal consoles or remove material in bulk. This is transported to our processing facility, where it is shredded into fine particles which comply with and exceed the requirements of GDPR. The paper waste is then sold to pulp processors for remanufacture into new paper.
SECUREBRAND®
Running on similar lines to SECURALL, this service provides secure, sustainable processing of waste textiles and clothing. We operate a three-level grading system for the fibres extracted from the shredding process: top-grade fibres are respun into yarn that is used to make new fabrics; second-grade fibres are used for upholstery padding and sound-absorption in vehicle interiors and office screens; the small quantity of third-grade fibres is used for energy production.
SECURETECH®
The third element in our triad of secure disposal and recycling services, offering professional disposal of electronic hardware and data storage components such as hard drives, flash drives and compact discs.
As a WEEE-certified waste contractor, we ensure all recyclable and hazardous components are processed appropriately. Our destruction process also guarantees all sensitive and confidential data stored on devices is permanently destroyed and irrecoverable.
Who do I speak to at Avena about responsible rebranding?
If you would like to know more about responsibly managing your rebrand with SECURALL, SECUREBRAND and SECURETECH, call us on 0845 5219 892 for a no-obligation discussion of your requirements or fill in our online contact form and a member of our support team will contact you within 24 hours.
Register Your Interest
