Ways To Design "Green" Direct Mail
April 29th, 2009 | Published in Design | 4 Comments
This week I attended a Canton Advertising Federation luncheon to hear Mark Daddario of the Cleveland USPS talk about “Green Marketing”. In 2007 I’d researched eco-friendly design for a lecture I gave at the NE Ohio Regional Parks Conference. My information had been supplied by a paper mill (Monadnock) and it was written from their perspective. Now I was going to have a chance to view it from a different angle.
Mark is an excellent speaker and gave a very informative talk. He explained how the USPS works with mailing list owners to “Green Clean” lists to eliminate waste and save both money and energy. Mark can be reached at 216.525.0355 and is always happy to answer questions about “Green Marketing”.
Did you know that paper manufacturing alone is the third largest use of fossil fuels worldwide? Mark and Monadnock both stressed the need for designers to work closely with printers. Wise printer, paper and ink selections will work together to help reduce pollution and protect the environment.
Designers going green can choose to use:
• a printer who has an environmental management system in place and recycles
• vegetable-based inks and water-based glues
Concerned designers can decide not to use:
• foil stamping— it renders paper non-recyclable
• metallic and fluorescent inks—they contain heavy metals
For more information download Monadnock Paper Mills Field Guide. It’s message is that eco-friendly design can be cost-efficient, environmentally sensitive and beautiful. I highly recommend this 24-page guide for both it’s beauty and content.
I have been enjoying my copy of Deliver, the USPS magazine for marketers that Mark gave us. You can find the companion website at www.delivermagazine.com. While there be sure that you visit The Green Room, Deliver’s Complete Coverage on Eco-Friendly Marketing.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:17 pm (#)
Thank you for the great information Diana! As a green conscious business, the U.S. Postal Service is committed to leaving a “green” footprint across the American landscape. The Postal Service is the first mailing or shipping company to achieve Cradle to CradleSM certification for our packaging and we have the largest civilian alternate fuel vehicle fleet in the nation.
I’ve listed some green ideas for marketers below, and if you or anyone else is interested in learning more, check out usps.com/green.
• Regularly update and improve your mailing lists to limit duplication and waste.
• Use research to effectively target your customers.
• Use recycled materials for the mailings you create and design your mailings to be recyclable.
• When sourcing paper, make sure that it comes from forests managed with practices certified by independent, third-party organizations such as the Sustainable Forest Initiative (www.sfiprogram.org) and the Forest Stewardship Council (www.fsc.org).
• Shred direct mail and use it as packing material for shipments.
• Encourage your customers to recycle the mailing once they’ve read it, and tell them how you made your mailing as green as possible.
Rod DeVar
Manager, Direct Mail
United States Postal Service
April 30th, 2009 at 3:29 pm (#)
Thanks for the additional information Rod. I’d like to also mention that the USPS has a Mailpiece Design Analyst who can be reached at 216.443.4077. They can answer questions concerning the size, shape and paper weight of your piece. Call them before you print anything unique. Actual example: Nearly a million postcards printed that needed hand-sorted at an additional cost because of rounded corners.
June 4th, 2009 at 3:20 pm (#)
Hi, good post. I have been woondering about this issue,so thanks for posting. I’ll definitely be coming back to your site.
June 4th, 2009 at 4:18 pm (#)
Thank you Andrew, I’m glad that you found this helpful. If you have any questions please give me a call.