Sustainability auction at Anago inspires collegues

Sustainability Auction through Teams: How Anago engaged colleagues in awareness and reuse

In June 2024, Anago, a consulting firm specializing in capacity planning, organized a creative and successful sustainability week. What began as an initiative of the CSR committee grew into a week full of involvement, awareness and impact. Proceeds from an internal auction went to Plastic Soup Foundation. We spoke with Anago's organizing team about how this week came about - and how other companies can take inspiration from it.

Why a sustainability week?

Anago wanted to make sustainability more visible within the company. "Our CSR committee wanted to actively involve colleagues in an approachable way. We had just finished a renovation, which made many items - from monitors to iPads - obsolete. Instead of getting rid of these, we decided to auction them off among colleagues."

A creative setup with concrete impact

The week had a clear structure: in advance, colleagues could hand in items, which were then categorized, photographed and prepared for auction by a team. The official kickoff was a guest lecture by Plastic Soup Foundation, on the impact of plastic pollution and the importance of recycling.

An online auction then took place every business day through Microsoft Teams. "We created a special channel where new items were posted daily. Colleagues could bid under the post until 6 p.m. The descriptions were written with a wink, which added to the involvement and fun." The week ended with a live auction in the office, in which larger or special items went under the hammer.

Why Plastic Soup Foundation as a charity?

The choice of Plastic Soup Foundation was a conscious one: "We were looking for an organization that, like us, is committed to awareness and recycling. PSF fit that perfectly." The collaboration went smoothly: "The contact was pleasant, and the guest speaker fit well with our corporate culture. We could easily ask questions and after the lecture colleagues really got thinking."

Result: money, awareness and connection

The campaign not only raised a nice amount of money for PSF, but also raised awareness. Since then, Anago has taken a more critical look at its own plastic consumption. "For example, we switched from cans to deposit bottles, and pay closer attention to packaging."

What perhaps surprised the team the most was how much enthusiasm there was for seemingly "worthless" items. "Almost everything was bid on. Things you would normally throw away suddenly got a second life with a colleague."

In addition, the action strengthened the internal culture: "Colleagues now make calls of their own accord when they have stuff left over, instead of immediately discarding everything. That stimulates reuse and mutual bonding."

Tips for other companies

Anago hopes other organizations will be inspired by their approach. Their tips:

- Keep it low key. Use internal channels such as Teams or Slack to make the auction clear and accessible.

- Pick a good time. A remodel or internal move often provides a natural opportunity.

- Be creative. Add a touch of humor to descriptions or introduce a "mystery box" for added suspense.

- Provide structure. Use an Excel file to keep track of bids and payments. And: a posted bid = binding.

- Add awareness. A guest speaker on plastic pollution makes the action more meaningful.

- Consider handling. Stuff that doesn't sell can go to a thrift store or charity.

Will there be a sequel?

"Definitely," says the team. "But we want to avoid colleagues getting 'tired' of the concept. We're thinking of doing it again in a few years, for example during the next renovation. The success was in the enthusiasm and simplicity - we want to keep that."

With their original set-up, Anago proved that sustainability can be fun, connecting and effective. Their action is an example of how companies can make a big difference with minimal resources.

Also organize an action at your work? Would you as a company or team also like to take action for a world without plastic pollution? Contact us at partners@plasticsoupfoundation.org - we'd love to think with you!