The world is getting greener, as more and more of us pay greater attention to our carbon footprint and its impact on the environment. With this increased awareness comes a need to cater for our clients who are actively seeking to be more eco-friendly with their communications and, as an advocate for a healthier planet ourselves, we’re more than happy to help them do so.
In a world where people are increasingly encouraged to operate ‘paperless offices’, it is therefore only natural to want to produce direct mail campaigns that leave as little impact on the environment as possible. This is where printed materials can sometimes be misunderstood, in terms of their effect on the world around us.
Below are 8 tips on how you can produce environmentally friendly direct mail campaigns in 2020;
- For those sending direct mail campaigns in ‘polywrap’ or similar, be aware that plastic is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to harming the environment. Can you use alternative means to send your communications? Perhaps a ‘self mailer’ would be just as effective?
- Re-sealable envelopes are great for reducing your footprint, as well as envelopes produced from recycled stock.
- On the subject of recycling, try incorporating a polite message asking your customer base to recycle your Direct Mail pieces after reading them. After all, a problem shared is a problem halved!
- Ask your print suppliers to use environmentally friendly inks. Vegetable based inks, as opposed to petroleum based versions, are far less harmful to the environment and most printers will be more than happy to comply.
- Consider print on demand processes such as hybrid mail (www.heraldchase.com/hybrid/) in order to reduce and consolidate the mail that you send out. By centralising your mailing operations, you have a far cleaner and greener mailing process.
- Take the time to select your paper stock carefully. There are a few options available to those who want to reduce their carbon footprint, from ‘tree free’ papers produced from non-wood based pulp to chemical free and recycled paper stocks.
- Consider a lighter weight stock, and if possible, printed double sided. In simple terms, you can reduce your output by 50% just by doing so, making your campaign instantly greener.
- On the subject of paper, if you’re really committed to going the extra mile, ‘seed papers’ are increasingly available for the environmentally conscious marketer. A paper stock permeated with seeds that can be planted after use is about as eco-friendly as it gets!
With the constant, positive changes in the direct mail industry, it no longer needs to be seen as a process that is less environmentally friendly than other channels. Paper mills and suppliers are working hard to offer ‘greener’ alternatives to the stocks used in the days when the issue was less prevalent, and printers and agencies alike are at the forefront of finding ways and means to communicate with as little impact on the environment as possible. This, coupled with unrivalled response rates in comparison to other marketing means, should make Direct Mail a key ingredient in your marketing mix for 2020.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog piece on Direct Mail, if you need any further info or have an enquiry , feel free to contact us on the office number: 0118 474 888.
