Green Options

I’ve written a lot in these posts about print vs. electronic media and the sustainability issues faced by both (yes, both! electronic media aren’t as green as people think). Now you can investigate more deeply for yourself. On November 17, Target Marketing and Printing Impressions will offer a webinar titled “Paper or Electronic? The Impact of Choices.”

Speakers will be:

Don Carli
Senior Research Fellow
Institute for Sustainable Communications

Brian Kozlowski
Director, Sustainable Development
NewPage Corp.

This free webinar will discuss the tools, processes, and success stories that exist to help direct marketers determine not only which media best fit the job at hand but also how to improve the carbon footprint of all channels.

Topics to be discussed include:

I’ve blogged a lot about how the printing industry is far greener than people give it credit for. The presses are more efficient. Paper often has high recycled content. Marketing strategies emphasize smart use of data over volume production. There are many ways that printing is green — greener, many argue, than electronic media. But what about individual printers? To what extent are they consciously pursuing a green strategy? It can be a significant investment, after all. Are their customers making it worth their while?

Last year, the commercial printing industry information portal What They Think released a report on the status of green in the printing industry. This month, in Printing Continues to Go Green, WTT updated the report with fresh data, comparing the numbers year over year.

In the June 2009 survey, WTT researchers found the following year-over-year changes:

• Printers are far more likely to identify themselves in their marketing and promotional materials as environmentally sensitive businesses — 33%, up from 26% last year
• They are slightly more likely to justify new equipment purchases because of their more favorable environmental impact — 22%, up from 20%
• They are more likely to have special “green” certifications from independent organizations (Forest Stewardship Council, Green Seal) — 22%, up from 15%
• They are slightly more likely to say that promoting their green efforts helps their business image — 39%, up from 35%.

But it’s not all good news. Commercial printers don’t see a lot of customer gratitude for their efforts. In the June 2009 survey, they were noticeably less likely to say that it was essential to their customers and more likely to say that it was a major expense without a major business benefit. Only 2% said it was critically important to their customers.

This is a real problem. Why?

In these tough economic times, everyone wants to save money. But what happens when money-saving options conflict with environmental stewardship?

One area of concern is paper.  As fuel costs have come down, publishers looking to save money on distribution are looking at heavier paper. Although the paper itself costs more than lightweight grades, the heavier stock allows them to take advantage of lower freight rates, which have come down significantly since last summer’s peak oil prices.

The Dead Tree Edition, for example, recently encouraged periodical publishers to consider this option in an article “Heavier Paper Can Save Money.”

But at what environmental cost? Heavier paper may cost less to ship, but it takes more fuel. You’ve got the same number of pages, carrying the same amount of information, but at a higher level of fuel consumption. Heavier paper also takes more energy to transport and ship before printing.

I’m cleaning my house this morning and I’m really irritated. What is all of this direct mail CRAP doing everywhere?

I don’t want infinite investor minutea on every fund offered by every financial company I do business with. I don’t want spring, summer, fall, and winter mini-catalogs from companies I only purchase from at Christmastime. I don’t want business solicitations from companies I already do business with.

Want to green the planet and save money at the same time? Stop sending irrelevant junk! I’m not talking about purchasing prospect lists and launching into new territory. I’m talking about irresponsible direct mail behavior with the databases and customers you already have.

Mail is a small overall contribution to a consumer’s environmental footprint. After all, according to a Pitney Bowes study on the environmental impact of mail, paper is increasingly manufactured from renewable resources, paper companies are increasingly running on renewable energy and running a single refrigerator for a year creates the same carbon footprint of delivering 5,000 letters.

At the same time — I would counter — direct mailers, catalogers, and others who produce massive volumes of mail can make a huge environmental difference (especially corporately) by making small, incremental changes individually. Simply because of those volumes. Once we start making changes at the source, the impact of the effort is magnified.

Here are some interesting nutshells from the report:

How many mailings do you make to the same office? Have you ever thought about the environmental impact this is having?

Only 15% of printers now have environmental programs in place, including certifications. Putting “positive peer pressure” on your printer can make a big difference in the environment.

Conservation group ForestEthics has released their annual “Naughty or Nice” list of corporations regarding their treatment of our forests. These ten companies continue to fill your mailbox with junk at the expense of the trees.

The list, determined by four separate criteria, includes a “Checking Twice” category for companies in a gray area. JC Penny has decreased their direct mail use but still supports logging companies, so while they stay out the top 10 snail-mail-spammers, but still aren’t free of all charges.

Check out the rest of the list, along with 10 other companies who are being nice to the trees, below:

PrintingForLess, a highly environmentally conscious printer, now uses 100% wind power for all of its printing processes.

By cleaning up your database, you not only save money and increase the effectiveness of your campaign, but you can dramatically decrease your carbon footprint and impact on the solid waste stream, as well.

Most of us have heard the popularly cited statistics that given the choice between two similar products, 83% of consumers will chose those that are “environmentally friendly” and will pay more for them.

According to the DoubleClick study, not only are consumers interested in green products and companies, but nearly half are willing to pay at least 5% more for them.

It’s not a new study. It came out in April, but [...]