Launched in January by Essex County Council in collaboration with Pupils Profit, The ECO Refill project enables primary school aged children aged nine and above to set up and operate their own monthly ECO Refill shops on school premises. The ECO Refill project is fully funded by Essex Year of Numbers, a £1.5m initiative launched in September 2023 to help children of all ages thrive in numeracy.
As part of the project, Essex County Council provided each school with an enterprise training toolkit and students are tasked with writing a business plan, applying for job roles within the shop and learning to evaluate the effectiveness of their business. Each shop also receives £200 worth of eco-friendly products to help kick-start their refill business. The project encourages children to practise and build their numeracy and life skills whilst also engaging them with greener habits. The initiative started in January 2023, with shops re-opening in September 2024 with the start of the new academic year.
Commenting on the project, Rob Getley, Assistant Principal at Kingsmoor Academy in Harlow said:
“The ECO Refill shop has been a brilliant experience for our Year 5 and 6 classes. They have gained real-world business skills and been able to take leanings from their maths lessons, applying them in real life examples. This type of learning is incredibly helpful in cementing their understanding. In addition to this, they are making a positive impact on the environment and reducing plastic waste. We have really been able to see the children’s confidence in their maths skills grow as they have taken on the responsibility of running their own businesses. What a fantastic training ground for future entrepreneurs.”
Following the success of the first phase of the project, The ECO Refill project will continue to take place in primary schools across Essex.
Lizzie Gimblett, Founder at Pupils Profit said:
“Since the launch of the project in January, it has been fantastic to see the pupils across Essex embrace the challenge of running their own eco-friendly businesses. Not only are they developing essential maths and business skills, but they are also learning to incorporate greener habits to help reduce the amount of plastic ending up in landfill. So far, the participating schools have saved 1,600 plastic containers from ending up in landfill, and we are looking forward to saving even more plastic now the ECO Refill shops reopen with the arrival of back to school.”
With classes and events taking place throughout the year, Essex Year of Numbers aims to close the grade gap for disadvantaged children in Essex and provide support and resources for teachers, carers and parents.
Councillor Tony Ball, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability said:
“The ECO Refill project has had a real impact on primary school students across the county. Integrating educational enrichment with environmental stewardship, we have been able to provide a real hands-on approach to pupils to help make maths fun and relevant as they learn to develop essential numeracy and business skills and divert 1,600 plastic containers from landfill.
“As the ECO Refill shops reopen in the autumn term, we are looking forward to offering even more students the opportunity to participate in the project and engaging them with maths in a fun and creative way.”
For more information about the Essex Year of Numbers and to access resources visit www.essexyearofnumbers.co.uk
If you're a school looking to get involved with The ECO Refill project, email essex.yearofnumbers@essex.gov.uk