Trex & REI
A campaign between two brands united by a shared sense of responsibility to Mother Nature.
Client
Trex
Year
2023-2024
Services
• Campaign Strategy
• Campaign Identity
• Photo/Video Captures
• Webdesign
Notes/Credits
Created at Material+
CD / Diana Saez
AD / Allyson Mathers
In Our Better Nature
For years, Trex and REI have curated a circular partnership rooted in sustainability and minimizing their mark on the outdoors. In 2021, REI began donating plastic film from their retail stores to Trex to be compacted into materials used for their composite decking boards.
In 2023, REI saw an opportunity to expand their partnership. REI noticed the wooden platforms used throughout their outdoor camping experiences were rotting and needed replacing. Instead of replacing the platforms with more wood, they saw this as an opportunity for a sustainable upgrade with Trex decking boards.
Our goal was to create and capture a campaign that could tell a larger story about two brands. A campaign united by a shared sense of responsibility to Mother Nature.
REI brought people outside while Trex brought nature closer. Together, the two believed that change was possible if we could just tap into what is in our better nature.
A Circular Partnership
1.4
Million pounds of plastic film recycled from the partnership
500
Gallons of stain saved each year by choosing Trex
700
Pieces of REI plastic film diverted from landfills
Breaking It Down
Nature is essential to wellness
The partnership is based on the shared belief that immersing ourselves in nature, be it in our backyards or a national park, is nurturing.
Sustainability starts with engagement
What’s most exciting is that we can nurture nature right back by connecting more people to the outdoors, comfortably and mindfully, in ways that leave smaller footprints and greater legacies.
Partnerships make sustainability scalable
Trex has built a framework that allows brands like REI to divert their waste, which would otherwise clog landfills. This, in turn, allows Trex to sustainably upcycle the material to make quality decking.
Photography was organized by the 4 steps of the process – Recycling, Installation, Camp Set up and Camp Experience.
The camp experience was captured in Bryce Canyon with a full REI team and camp crew. Over 3 long days and nights we captured interviews, camping memories, product highlights and enjoyed a s’more…or two.
The campaign art direction was a direct nod to the cyclical nature of the partnership. A gradient of two brand colors were used throughout collateral and photography to represent the circular nature of recycling and making sustainable choices.
The landing page for this partnership had a tough job to do. It needed to unpack the 2 brand’s shared sustainability messages, give context to the partnership, house the campaign video AND offer shoppable moments for Trex decking. Sounds easy, right?
We maintained current web module layouts from the current Trex site for an easy dev handoff and moved forward with fluidly weaving in partnership details with natural shoppable moments.
The landing page’s primary and most emphasized call to action was to begin a consumer’s sustainable journey by ordering Trex samples.
What’s a landing page without engaging content and applications? Sprinkled throughout the page are scroll jax transitions, click-to-open shoppable modules and more.
The team was very intentional about how and where we added shoppability features. The primary gallery module at the bottom offered a seamless moment for inspiration AND ordering.
