Direct mail industry mulls sustainability moves

Postal advice and management provider ONEPOST recently hosted forums aimed at making the mail industry more environmentally friendly.

Held in London and Birmingham, the forums on “Environmental issues facing the direct marketing industry” drew more than 100 delegates from the direct mail industry. Attendees discussed ways to make mail media more sustainable while also reducing the industry’s carbon footprint and landfill waste.

Among the moves many industry representatives say they are now considering are:

• Improved targeting and more data cleaning;
• Use of recycle logos;
• Environmentally friendly ways to direct mail;
• Elimination of polywrap.

“Following environmental best practice is commercial best practice,” said Alex Walsh of the Direct Marketing Association. “Direct marketers that adopt PAS 2020 (Environment Performance Specification for direct marketing) today will fare much better than those that don’t as legislation starts to come into effect.”

“We are delighted with the feedback,” added Graham Cooper, Managing Director of ONEPOST. “We are challenged with protecting the industry against proposed government legislation, threats from other media and the environmental lobby. At no time has it been more important for us to join together and demonstrate our responsibility to the industry.”