Elmwood gets Serious** with waste management

Elmwood has rebranded Midlands-based waste management service Enviro Tech as Serious**, as the company seeks to differentiate its offer and showcase its environmental credentials.

The company, located in Burton upon Trent, serves both business and household customers who lack access to the conventional mains drains. Instead of relying on traditional and environmentally inefficient sceptic tanks, Serious** installs a ‘mini sewage system’ that separates out waste products.

The radical repositioning was conceived on the back of a ‘throwaway remark’ by Elmwood chairman Jonathan Sands, but the new name and identity ‘reflects the entire ethos of the business’, says Serious** managing director David Birkett.

Sands explains, ‘I was staggered at the potential penalties [of legal non-compliance in this sector] and said that’s serious shit.’

Birkett says the brand can ‘still raise a smile’, while communicating ‘the serious nature of the issues and demonstrate that we offer a serious service that will give customers peace of mind.’

‘This market is very, very functional [and] had never considered consumer-oriented branding before,’ says Elmwood managing director Jayne Barrett. ‘But [Birkett] knew he had a great product and wanted to grow his business. The brand is built on environmental responsibility and personal service.’

The group began work last August without a pitch. In addition to Sands, the Elmwood team included writer Roger Horberry, creative director Richard Scholey and designer Kevin Blackburn.