Event Network, a leading operator of retail stores for experiential attractions in the US, has announced the launch of its new Plastic STOPS Initiative, as part of its Common Thread Pledge and in partnership with the New England Aquarium.
Last year, Event Network and the New England Aquarium agreed to transition to a gift store that uses no plastic at all. The procedure was cooperative and involved the open and sincere exchange of data, and there were conversations about the fact that a totally plastic-free environment would be “an evolution and not a revolution.”
The road to plastic-free
In 2018, Event Network started this evolution by switching to a recycled/post-consumer filling and removing plastic pellets from its plush collection. In the same year, the firm challenged the industry norm of shipping souvenir items separately wrapped in plastic bags and collaborated with its suppliers to explore and implement plastic-free options. In order to reduce the amount of single-use plastic packaging used for 40% of the toy items, it worked with toy vendors to revamp packaging.
By 2021, Event Network formally began its efforts to remove single-use plastic from its stores
“One of the reasons our longstanding partnership with Event Network is so successful is because we share similar institutional values, especially around sustainability,” said Suzanne Liola Matus, vice president of marketing, sales, and visitor experience at the Aquarium. “We knew there was some financial risk involved but were mutually driven by our shared commitment to the environment, as well as the challenge and reward of reaching this milestone together.”
An inspiring partnership
First, anything manufactured from or packed in plastic was identified. This brought the problem into the open and produced quantifiable data points that informed the sell-through strategy. Simultaneously, the purchasing team at Event Network started looking into alternatives to plastic products.
“I was inspired every day by the conviction and courage of our partners at the New England Aquarium,” says Julie Ricci, vice president of purchasing at Event Network, and the leader of the Plastic STOPS initiative. “To see many of the aquarium’s revenue-driving bestsellers flagged for removal and be willing to try going forward without them took a great deal of trust and faith that we could affect the purchasing habits of the guests.”
Throughout the project, there was discussion about the effect this programme would have on retail income. As the plastic items sold out, replacement options that were biodegradable, plastic-free, or made from recycled plastic materials were ordered.
“This was, and continues to be our biggest challenge,” adds Ricci. “Because we are among the first to demand more environmentally responsible products for our partners, we discovered that the market is not entirely able to support that demand and, in some cases, we simply weren’t able to find an item-for-item replacement.”
Again, the aquarium team’s commitment and support came through: “As an ocean conservation organization, removing plastic from our operations is an expression of our mission. We must model the behavior we work to inspire in our more than one million guests who visit us every year to protect the blue planet,” Matus says.
As the Plastic STOPS Initiative progressed, sales data was analysed, reviewed, and shared with the Aquarium partners:
“We were all holding our breaths for these results every week,” says Ricci. “We had reason to be optimistic; Event Network has been working with an AI pricing program for many years and we have seen how reductions in one department could be picked up in another. We had never pushed the program to compensate for such a dramatic reduction in a single department.”
Locally sourced products
The New England Aquarium Gift Shop finished the initial plastic purge in January 2024. Although the toy department, which used to sell a lot of plastic toys, had a sharp decline in earnings, customers were more drawn to items in the plush and jewellery areas.
Additionally, customers started purchasing new merchandise from neighbourhood producers and artists like Maritime Tribes, Mystic Knotworks, and Beacon Designs, as well as a line of goods made in collaboration with Silvia Lopez Chavez, a local artist from Boston. In the end, overall shop income did not decline.
This case study, along with Event Network’s partnership with the New England Aquarium, has inspired the company. The New England Aquarium Gift Shop is not yet 100% plastic-free, and The Event Network team is now searching for responsible solutions in the domain of polyester-made apparel.
“The Plastic STOPS initiative is a journey we are taking together and we’re not at the finish line yet,” says Ricci. “We are upfront about items that don’t currently have a viable alternative, but we all celebrate together when we can introduce a process or product that gets us closer.”
Several of the new products that Event Network is introducing for the summer are making the idea of “plastic-free” closer than ever. For example, the Wearsponsible clothing line is going to expand to include recycled polyester clothing. A new line of candies and snacks with compostable packaging either at home or in a commercial facility is already available, and an animal rescue kit that is a plastic-free alternative to one of the aquarium’s best-selling toys will be arriving soon.
In order to handle plastic abuses in the “back-of-house” shipping process, the firm has also implemented a new procedure. Products that arrive at the store packaged with plastic are now flagged in the receiving system giving new visibility to the purchasing team.
Revenue continues to perform well without plastic
In March, the New England Aquarium Store broke a record for its highest single sales day, another positive indicator that just because the plastic stops, the revenue does not:
“This is the future path for us, to try and learn how to move away from our dependence on plastics,” says Ricci. “I’m proud that with the Plastic STOPS initiative, we are taking such an active role in shaping that future… for our partners and the planet.”
Earlier this month, Event Network revealed that it will continue to serve as Indianapolis Zoo’s official retail partner. The renewal continues this successful collaboration, which has been ongoing for 22 years.
