Local authorities and water companies are facing an ever increasing need to meet statutory and regulatory targets for climate change, waste reduction, and water efficiency.
Yet, many of these organisations feel held back by concerns around GDPR compliance, fearing that using their resident or customer databases to promote initiatives like Greenredeem might overstep the mark. However, when it comes to campaigns that serve the public interest and regulatory obligations, these communications fall squarely within the lawful bases of GDPR, ensuring communities benefit from information that genuinely supports them.
The GDPR Barrier: A Common Misunderstanding
A prevailing myth is that any outreach to residents or customers requires explicit consent under GDPR. In reality, this is only true for communications that are purely marketing in nature. When the purpose of an engagement is aligned with statutory or regulatory duties, such as reducing waste, cutting carbon, or encouraging water efficiency – the data can be used under the lawful bases of ‘public task’ or ‘legitimate interests’.
Why Greenredeem Communications Are Different
Greenredeem’s schemes are not typical marketing campaigns. They are part of a wider effort to help local authorities and water companies deliver on their legally mandated or regulator-set environmental goals. For local authorities, this often sits within statutory requirements for climate change mitigation and waste reduction. For water companies, reducing household water consumption is a direct target of OFWAT.
In these contexts, informing and nudging residents or customers to participate in Greenredeem schemes is not about selling; it is about providing vital information and tools to support sustainability objectives, and crucially, to reduce financial and operational pressures on the organisations themselves.
Lawful Bases for Data Use: Public Task and Legitimate Interests
- Public Task (Article 6(1)(e)): Local authorities can use contact data to share information about Greenredeem schemes where these schemes help them meet statutory environmental and recycling obligations.
- Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)): Water companies can inform customers about Greenredeem schemes in pursuit of OFWAT’s regulatory targets, balancing this need with the rights of individuals.
Neither scenario requires explicit consent, provided the communication is:
- Clearly in line with the organisation’s public task or regulatory obligations.
- Transparent and respectful, offering opt-out options where required.
Why It Matters: Community Benefits and Financial Savings
Overcoming this data use hesitation unlocks substantial benefits. Greenredeem’s campaigns typically help to:
- Reduce landfill waste, increasing recycling rates and lowering disposal costs.
- Cut household water consumption, helping water companies avoid drought-related penalties.
- Deliver measurable progress on environmental targets, boosting an organisation’s sustainability credentials and community goodwill.
The results are not merely compliance based; they translate directly into tangible environmental and financial returns.
Conclusion: Empowering action within the law
For local authorities and water companies, GDPR compliance should never be a barrier to sustainability progress. By understanding the distinction between marketing and statutory communications, these organisations can confidently engage their residents and customers, building trust, reducing costs, and achieving real impact.
At Greenredeem, we specialise in working within these compliance frameworks, ensuring every campaign is designed to support your public task or regulatory obligations. If you’d like to learn more, contact us for a no obligation discussion.
