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Every year, Australian businesses send millions of pieces of mail that are “returned to sender”. By taking simple ongoing steps to maintain clean up-to-date lists your business can reduce its amount of RTS mail. This will help lessen its impact on the environment because you will be producing fewer mail pieces and using less paper, ink, and energy. And by using less paper, ink and postage, you can also save money. Another advantage of a well maintained list is better targeting, which may help increase ROI. There are many resources available to maintain your list:
• Postcode correction* ensures that mail is delivered to the recipient
• Address standardisation* eliminates address errors
• National Change of address* file corrects addresses before mailing
• ADMA Do Not Contact subscription lists consumers who do not want to recieve advertising mail.
NB* Available through Australia Post
In addition, there are steps marketers can take to fine tune their lists
• Merg and purge mailing lists often to remove invalid names and addresses
• Provide frequent, clear opportunities for customers to opt-in and opt-out
• maintain a Do Not Mail list to prevent unwanted communications
• Allow customers to specify their preferred method of contact
the take away: List management is the first line of environmental defence in Direct Mail. Before marketers print a single mail piece, a list can be sorted and honed to ensure that there are fewer pieces sent to incorrect addresses or uninterested recipients. Not only does this reduce the environmental impact and save on the monetary cost of paper, ink and postage, it also helps increase ROI through effective targeting.
Almost every Direct Mail piece is printed on and mailed using paper. Depending on the piece, certain characteristics may be required of the paper itself, including brightness, coatings, and a host of other traits. Marketers can reduce their environmental footprint significantly by using non-traditional types of paper. There are many opportunities to make Direct Mail more eco-friendly.:
• Explore using paper containing post consumer waste
• Print on the lightest weight of paper you can
• Investigate papers made of alternative materials, such as sugarcane
• Choose paper made using chemical free processes (chlorine-free for example)
• Experiment with formats that require less paper and packaging to reduce paper use and overall weight
• Work with paper mills that use environmentally friendly production practices and that use/encourage sustainability to renew forest resources
the take away: paper is the backbone of Direct Mail and represents the most tangible eco-friendly opportunity. There are a wide variety of papers with varying amounts of recycled content. Paper with high recycled content can be more expensive, but this is changing and the goodwill benefit from using it can outweigh the out-of pocket cost. Marketers can choose the product that best suits their creative execution or even choose to make eco-friendly paper integral to the execution.
An often overlooked opportunity to spare the environment during Direct Mail production are the inks and/or varnishes and coatings used during printing. Some inks have greater environmental impact than others, as do the the special chemical coatings used to give a piece some extra visual or tactile pizzazz. Marketers looking to become greener should pay attention to inks and coatings and research their impact on the environment. Printers are excellent sources of information and should be consulted about different inks and coatings and their various uses. Here are some things for marketers to consider:
• Look for agri-based inks and use them whenever possible
• Opt for less ink usage/coverage (fewer colours usually mean fewer chemicals)
• Research the different coatings and the impact of each on the environment before using them
the take away: Think about the inks a Direct Mail piece uses, how they are made, and what effect they will have on the environment. Varnishes and costings should also be considered because they may contain harmful chemicals. Ask printers about the various inks and chemicals used in a mailing, and find out if there are any eco-friendly alternatives.
Printers aren’t the only ones to consult during Direct Mail production. Sometimes there are other partners who can also have an impact on the eco-friendliness of a mailing. With the help of these production partners, you can discover additional practices that will help you become eco-friendly:
• Print on both sides of materials to maximise communication space and minimise paper usage
• Seek out printers near your letter shop/mail house to minimise transportation, which reduces cost and uses less feul in the process
• Take advantage of print on demand technology instead of printing large quantities and warehousing them until they’re needed
• Use production methods that reduce print overruns, waste allowances, and in-process waste
• Find vendors that use renewable energy sources whenever possible
• Collaborate with printers to ensure the best use of press size - sometimes a slight alteration of the mail piece can allow more to be produced from each press sheet
the take away: Green Direct Mail is more than just eco-friendly papers and inks. Marketers should take a broader view of environmental responsibility by partnering with companies that are working to alter the entire Direct Mail process for the better. This can mean choosing partners based on their location, their practices and their capabilities for each individual mailing.
Posted on 16th February 2010