Exeter Businesses Invited to City-Wide Litter Pick for Employee Ownership (EO) Day

Four employee-owned businesses in Exeter are inviting organisations across the city to join them for a litter pick to celebrate EO Day on Friday 19 June.

Absolute PR and Marketing, Coastal Recycling, Market Carpets and Stephens Scown are organising The Big EO Clean Up 2026, encouraging businesses of all sizes to step out of the workplace and help clean up Exeter’s streets and shared spaces on 19 June.

Businesses are invited to spend time in the morning litter picking in Exeter before heading to Stephens Scown’s offices in Southernhay for an informal networking reception from 1-2pm.

After cleaning up Exeter’s shared spaces, participants can enjoy complimentary refreshments hosted at Stephens Scown, Curzon House, Southernhay West, EX1 1RS. There will be an opportunity to meet other businesses and learn more about the employee ownership model from organisations already successfully operating this way.  Any bags of litter collected throughout the morning can be dropped into the Coastal Recycling skip which will be based at Stephens Scown.

Businesses located outside the city centre are encouraged to get involved in the Big EO Clean Up by litter picking around their local area before joining the reception.  Participants are invited to share photos on social media with the hashtag #thebigEOcleanup.

This year’s EO Day theme, “Owning It”, celebrates the positive impact employee-owned businesses can have in their communities, something the Big Clean Up organisers hope to bring to life through this collective litter pick across Exeter.

Rachael Whitson, Managing Director at Absolute PR and Marketing, commented:

“The Big EO Clean Up is a fantastic opportunity for businesses across Exeter to come together and make a visible difference to the city.

“This year’s EO Day theme is ‘Owning It’, and for us that means taking shared responsibility for the places where we live and work. We’d love businesses from across Exeter to get involved, whether by joining us in the city centre or litter picking in their own local area.

“Employee ownership is built on collaboration, shared purpose and long-term thinking, and the Big EO Clean Up initiative reflects those values perfectly.  We’re really looking forward to meeting other businesses on 19 June and celebrating EO Day together.”

Richard Baker, Stephens Scown’s Managing Partner, added: “As we celebrate ten years of employee ownership in 2026, we’re proud to champion the values it stands for – shared responsibility, collaboration and long-term thinking. Hosting the Exeter networking event and working alongside Absolute PR, Market Carpets and Coastal Recycling on the Big EO Clean Up is a fantastic way to bring those principles to life, supporting our local community while connecting businesses across the city.”

There is no need to register to take part in the Big EO Clean Up, nor do organisations need to be employee owned to participate. Businesses can simply organise their own litter pick during the morning before heading to Stephens Scown for refreshments and networking at 1pm.

Participants are encouraged to separate recyclable waste where possible and to use gloves, litter pickers and suitable footwear.

For more information and to sign up for the networking session, please visit the Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-big-eo-clean-up-tickets-1987677750659