Chiswick Shoppers Given Gift Of Free Eco Boxes

Radical rethink needed about packaging says local businessman

eco bags outside local shop Arthur Chirkinian outside Turnham Green Arts & Crafts with the eco bags

Shoppers in Turnham Green Terrace have been given free eco-boxes as part of a national campaign to replace plastic bags and use technology to promote local businesses.

The pilot scheme started at Chiswick Arts & Crafts Centre, at Turnham Green Terrace, where volunteers handed out the boxes which are reusable, recyclable and biodegradable. The idea behind the scheme is to promote local businesses through using digital Augmented Reality (AR) technology as a means of advertising. This is the first time AR has been used for promoting local business – an audience for which hi-tech is not normally an option. There is a bar code at the top of the bags which the consumer can scan and it brings up the relevant advertising in a more immersive manner.

The idea is the brainchild of Chiswick-based eco-tech entrepreneur Arthur Chirkinian, 37, (founder of In Your Face Advertising (iYFA) and the scheme intends to forge relationships with local businesses which go on to offer eco boxes to local residents. The first campaign has run with the theme “Merry Chiswick.” The free eco boxes give shoppers an alternative to a plastic bag – especially those who have forgotten their bags-for-life at point of purchase.

The initiative is to be the blueprint for a national campaign and the company is holding discussions with leading companies to drive the scheme he says.

Arthur Chirkinian commented: “It’s time for a radical rethink on the amount of plastic packaging and indeed plastic bags we still use - whether consumers pay for their shoppers or not, the issue is the continued use of plastic which we need to reduce. Our resolution is simple: surely we can provide free and convenient eco boxes at the same time as promoting local businesses.”

December 22, 2017