“One of the main challenges we face as communications managers is having different audiences, from industrial and scientific stakeholders to the general public. The key strategy to engage with a wide audience is simple: different targets require different content.” –  Interview with Sustainable Innovations

Pablo Morales Moya, Communications Manager at Sustainable Innovations speaks in this interview about the importance of communication and dissemination in R&D projects and what are the keys to implementing an effective communication strategy.

As a Communications Manager, why do you think is important to have a task dedicated to communication and dissemination in the UPLIFT project?

In line with the objectives of the European Commission and the Green Deal, one of the main goals of the UPLIFT project is to contribute to achieving a 60% upcycling rate for plastic by 2030. This transformation should not be achieved solely by improving technology or processes, but also by raising awareness among citizens about the reasons and benefits of living in a society based on a circular economy. In this context, the importance of having a specific task for communication and dissemination within the UPLIFT initiative is twofold. On one hand, it involves communicating the progress, achievements, impacts, improvements, and technical developments that have been carried out. On the other hand, it involves creating messages that raise public awareness about recycling and upcycling, while also inspiring new solutions and innovations within the scientific community.

Considering the technical complexity of the UPLIFT project, how do you approach communicating its goals and achievements to the general public? Are there any specific strategies or channels you find particularly effective?

One of the main challenges we face as communications managers is having different audiences, from industrial and scientific stakeholders to the general public. The key strategy to engage with a wide audience is simple: different targets require different content.

For that reason, the communication in UPLIFT is tailored for each one. For example, sharing the partners’ scientific papers, publishing summaries of the technical milestones and organising webinars with European-related projects is a good practice to engage with the scientific community since they are familiar with the technical ideas and concepts. However, when we want to engage with the general public the messages and the content need to be different.

We have developed several initiatives to educate and raise awareness among the general public such as a joint factsheet with our sister projects UPPE-T and PRESERVE about the top five facts you must know about upcycling. Another example can be found in the video interview that I conducted with MVRDV, one of the top architecture studios where we discuss how the concept of upcycling is impacting not only in the plastic industry but also in other areas such as architecture. More examples can be found in the information published on the website where we have clearly defined the difference between upcycling and recycling as well as all the events, trade fairs and workshops that our partners have attended or the audiovisual content produced where we interview the partners as well as the official video explaining the main concept of UPLIFT with a user-friendly animated designed. Besides all that, we have participated in several awards such as the Sustainability Awards or the .EU Awards to boost and maximise the visibility of the project. Last but not least, all this information is compiled each semester in our biannual Newsletter to make sure our audience don’t miss the opportunity to read about all the different actions carried out.