A sustainable approach to
furniture retail

The brief

To communicate the depth and breadth of Barker and Stonehouse’s eco-credentials, whilst positioning the retailer as a leading voice within the industry.

1. George Barker (the 4th generation of the Barker family) visits the Trees4Trees foundation in Indonesia, a reforestation program of which Barker and Stonehouse is a founding member.

2. Loop: the world’s first 100% recyclable mattress, created in collaboration with Harrison Spinks.

3. Big Blue: the world’s first sofa made from 100% sustainability sourced and recycled materials.

4. A living wall at Barker and Stonehouse in Teesside Park. Housing more than 14,000 plants it promotes bee, bird and insect life in the local area.

Cutting through the noise

As the buzz word of the moment, there’s chatter around sustainability from almost every brand, so cutting through this noise was our biggest challenge. In order to do this, we focused on telling the full story, across multiple channels, supported by facts, figures, interviews and case studies.

Sustainability brochure

Working closely with Barker and Stonehouse’s internal teams, we gathered every piece of information and data that we could get our hands on, shaping it into a story that demonstrated the full scope of their endeavours. Having all the big stories in one place was an important part of adding weight to the campaign. Designed so that it could be easily adapted for different audiences (customers, suppliers, staff, press) and different channels (web, social, e-mail), it’s proved to be an invaluable tool.

For a story like this to stick in the minds of the consumer, it couldn’t be a one-hit-wonder. We needed fresh content to be constantly reinforcing the brand’s position when it came to sustainability, educating and engaging customers across every platform.

To support this strategy, we put together a comprehensive content plan, which brought each thread of the story to life in different ways and across different channels.This included video interviews with suppliers and manufacturers, illustrated Q&As, animations, written articles and collaborations with like minded brands.

In the press

As well as engaging with existing customers and reaching new audiences via the retailer’s own channels, we also wanted to catch the attention of the press to help amplify Barker and Stonehouse’s voice in the wider conversation around sustainability.