A recent publication by Accenture, Business at its best: Driving Sustainable Value Creation, provides advice and direction for companies looking for new ways to grow and reach high performance. Full of good information and available free at the link above, a brief synopsis of the publication follows.

What IS Sustainable Value Creation?

Sustainable Value Creation is a core business strategy focused on addressing fundamental societal issues by identifying new, scalable sources of competitive advantage that generate measurable profit and community benefit.

• Core business strategy: a strategy that addresses a threat or opportunity faced by the company that is critical to its long-term success
• Fundamental societal issues: issues such as illiteracy, poverty, hunger or access to social services. Minimizing production waste, fostering employee wellness, and lightening the social burden caused by a company’s product portfolio are not fundamental societal issues; they are inward focused rather than outward focused.
• New and scalable: innovative and creative, considering previously unrecognized possibilities; ideas and solutions that can be replicated and scaled across the company to deliver whole-business impacts.
• Competitive advantage: access to new or previously underserved markets, higher market capitalization, reduced costs, increased revenues, and/or greater value of intangible assets.
• Measurable: generates a quantifiable positive impact on both the business and on fundamental societal issues. There needs to be an accurate and timely assessment of ROI to justify the investment and resources expended.

Successful companies are good at generating profitable ideas, yet they often overlook business opportunities that can be found within fundamental societal issues.  It is in the root causes of those issues that new competitive advantages may be found.

Executives who rethink products, services, and community development elements can identify benefits to society and to their business. While exploring opportunities, keep in mind that not every corporate obstacle or strategic issue is linked to a fundamental societal problem. A solution may only be found in philanthropy for some issues.

As a function of Sustainable Value Creation, there needs to be a profit margin through out the strategy – it is, at the core, an economic and business-driven decision. And can be a source of competitive advantage.

How Do You Find The Convergence Point Between Business Strategy and Fundamental Societal Issues?

Finding the convergence point between your business strategy and society’s issues begins with trend analysis. Ideas can also come from regulatory changes and media, both business and general publications. For example, climate change could be a strategic commercial issue for your company.

Once you and your team have identified opportunities, narrow the list into those that are:

• Clearly a broad need
• Unique
• Linked to your company’s strategic direction
• Addressable by your core competencies

The nature of cause-and-effect issues related to need is complex, map these interconnected links and complexities early in the planning process.

Next Steps: Research, Develop, Repeat

The process of strategy development should be approached like an R&D project. It will be iterative, real-time, and public. To minimize the possibility of failure and unintended consequences, develop a deep understanding of the populations and communities that will be affected. Solutions must be matched to local wants and needs.

When you’ve succeeded with a pilot project, you’ll want to scale your efforts across the company. But, like managing any other strategic change, a little corporate “rewiring” is necessary.

Now is the time to embed new structures, communications, incentives, and metrics across your organization to sustain the new behaviors. Rewards, incentives, and governance are where your new strategy will succeed or fail.

Communication With Internal and External Stakeholders

Communicate with your employees regularly, reporting on progress and sharing proof of success. Keep consumers and customers on board by informing them of your actions, operations, and the social impact.

Educate your investors and shareholders to embrace a long time horizon for returns with Sustainable Value Creation. Reinforce the value of these strategies; it is not a time to focus purely on quarterly returns or high ROI projects.

While it may seem easier to go it alone, you’ll be more successful by collaborating or partnering with a wide range of organizations – including your competitors – while maintaining your competitive advantage.

Suggested Reading

“Q&A: Roundtable on Shared Value,” Stanford Social Innovation Review, John Kania & Mark R. Kramer (2011)

Vision 2050: The New Agenda for Business, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2010)

Creating Shared Value: A How-To Guide for the New Corporate (R)evolution, Valerie Bockstette & Mike Stamp (2011)

“Creating Shared Value: How to Reinvent Capitalism and Unleash a Wave of Innovation and Growth,” Harvard Business Review, Michael E. Porter & Mark R. Kramer (2011)

New Era of Sustainability, Accenture and the United Nations Global Compact (2010)

Shaping the Future: Solving Social Problems Through Business Strategy, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, based on research by McKinsey & Co. (2010)

Filming commercials and other promotional messages goes on every day in southern California, New York City and around the world. A great deal of talent, skill and time goes into those snippets of imagery and action – and a great deal of waste.

Making commercials create about 18 million pounds of “commercial waste” a year; about half of which is food waste, the rest is specific to the industry, such as gels, duvetyne and cinefoil (black materials used to absorb light on shoots).

A new “green” company, EcoSet Consulting, focuses on greening commercial, TV and film sets and works with Target on 90% of the retailer’s commercials.

Since 2009, Target and EcoSet claim to have diverted 100,016 pounds from landfills, which is 85% of all waste generated by Target’s broadcast shoots in Los Angeles. Materials are composted, recycled, or donated for reuse.

Rather than turning to carbon offsets as a single solution to wasteful production, EcoSet is intent on making production itself more sustainable.

Read more here.

Jacquie Ottman, founder and principal of J. Ottman Consulting, spoke via telephone to a crowd of Green Marketing Coalition members and marketers from companies across the country about the new green marketing paradigm.

The bad news is that conventional marketing is out. The good news is that green marketing – or “sustainable branding,” if you prefer – is in. The old rules, those that have guided consumer marketing since the 50s (think Mad Men), simply cannot effectively address the needs of today’s consumers. Times have changed!

As a way to meet the demands of today’s new green consumer, Jacquie has developed new methods and strategies as part of a new green marketing paradigm; a paradigm being forged by sustainability leaders who are creatively applying the new rules of marketing.

During the conversation, she talked about consumers, products, credibility, “end of life,” community, and first steps.

Consumers
Good news: 83% of consumers are some shade of green, based on their involvement in green values, activities, purchasing, and use. Consumers range from “pale green” Drifters, who follow the latest green product fads and trends, to “dark green” LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability), who are the most environmentally conscious, holistically oriented, and socially active of all consumers. They see a connection between health, environment, and responsible purchasing.

Placing herself in the Conventional category, Jacquie is concerned about natural resources, “I would venture to say that Conventionals would be the ones to recognize the need for recycled paper and, at the same time, be concerned about the effects of direct marketing on the environment.” 

Products
“There’s really no such thing as a ‘green’ product; all products consume resources and create waste,” said Jacquie. “Green is relative.”

That said, we can’t rest on our green laurels, we must continue to strive for the most sustainable way to meet consumer needs. In some instances that might mean new business models, e.g., car sharing, and in others it might mean using “eco-innovative” technologies, like developing clothes that don’t get dirty in the first place.

It is important to design and manufacture products that balance quality, convenience, and affordability with minimal adverse environmental and social impacts throughout the product lifecycle. Mainstream green consumers don’t want to give up the primary benefits they seek from the products they buy in order to buy green. With mainstream companies like Procter & Gamble and Clorox now offering green products, they don’t have to.

Jacquie’s advice? Remember that people buy products to meet primary needs that are satisfied by that product category. Lead your messaging with your primary benefits, but always follow with your environmental story.

Credibility
Consumers know that no product or company can be completely green; they are more trusting of companies that admit the shortcomings of their products and vow to make them better. Be transparent, disclose your ingredients, invite the public into your manufacturing plants, publish your progress; in other words, take your customer along the path with you.

Back up your green claims with data or other evidence and enlist third party approval or certification. Consumers do look for eco-labels like Energy Star, USDA Organic, and FSC. Make sure the ones you use are the ones that consumers recognize and that can influence their purchase decisions.

And educate your customers about the criteria on which your eco-label is based and create demand for those labels by continuing to promote them.

End of Life
For many products, the true environmental costs are not in the manufacture of the products, but in the use and disposal of them. “In my book, I talk about what I’m calling responsible consumption; it is also known as shared responsibility. I think this is the next big thing in green marketing,” said Jacquie.

Consumers need to be engaged in the aspects of the product lifecycle that they control. So in laundry detergent, that means turning the dial to cold rather than hot for the wash cycle, or turning the water off when they brush their teeth.

It also involves disposal. For instance, with SunChips, the challenge is only half over with bags made of compostable material. Frito-Lay needs to educate consumers to see that the bags are composted and not just thrown in the trash where they will go to the landfill. We all know nothing degrades in a landfill.

Community
Community is important to all consumers; consumers trust the recommendations of friends and family more than any form of paid advertising, or even news articles.

Environmental issues are very intangible and much of green marketing is based on trust. Consumers want to know more about the products they buy than ever before, and they ask for information from their friends, family and social networks.

method, for example, created a community called “People against dirty” and now has 38,300 fans on Facebook and 9300 followers on Twitter. Those are all people who buy, believe in, and recommend their products.

First Steps
How to make the change to the new paradigm of green marketing? It’s a process and a path. Remember, there is no such thing as a totally “green” company or product, but both can become “greener” and make big difference environmentally and benefit economically.

Actions you can take:

• Incorporate “green marketing” in your vision, values, or core mission statement.
• Let senior executives demonstrate internal commitment and communicate that commitment.
• Set ambitions, specific, credible, and measurable goals and keep your stakeholders informed of your progress.
• Design products with the end in mind, and incorporate lifecycle analysis throughout the design and production process.
• Partner with your supply chain to encourage them to reduce their environmental impact and operate with ethical and humane working conditions.
• Engage well-recognized environmental organizations and certification bodies who will add credibility to your green marketing efforts.

Regardless of where you start on this path, take the first step.

About Jacquelyn Ottman, J. Ottman Consulting
Jacquie Ottman, founder and principal of J. Ottman Consulting, is considered to be the nation’s foremost expert on green marketing. Her company has helped over sixty of the Fortune 500 and other clients uncover new sources of value and establish competitive advantage by shepherding the development of concepts for highly profitable new greener products and services ("eco-innovation") and assisting in the development of strategies and execution of award-winning green marketing campaigns.

The author of four books including the newly released, "The New Rules of Green Marketing," Jacquie is a sought-after keynoter at conferences in North America, South America, Europe and Asia and at corporate forums run by Johnson and Johnson, 3M, Philips Electronics and GE, among many others.

For more information, visit www.greenmarketing.com.

Aveda, founded in 1978, manufactures professional plant-based hair care, skin care, makeup, scents, and other products that are sold in Aveda stores and nearly 7,000 salons and spas in 24 countries.

As a company, Aveda has implemented a wide number of environmentally and socially responsible strategies and initiatives. Those range from using natural and organic ingredients, responsible packaging, the use of renewable energy, and cause-based campaigns and corporate giving programs.

In the following one-on-one discussion with Aveda, we learn how the company “walks the talk” of green marketing. From Aveda’s vision or guiding belief to its mission statement, it’s clear that the company has a huge number of green initiatives that are integrated into marketing messages in a number of ways.

Marianne Knutson, VP of Global Marketing, shares some of her company’s best practices from sourcing ingredients and environmentally sensitive packaging to powering the manufacturing plant and operations.

In the second half of the conversation, Marianne talks about Aveda’s bold new direct marketing tactics, including direct mail and email, and the company’s social media marketing.

Listen to the interview with Ms. Knutson here.

For more information about Aveda, visit the company’s website at: www.aveda.com.

Most people will tell you that they care about saving our forests and conventional wisdom has been to demonize the print industry as the major culprit behind “killing trees.” In face of that common belief, Dick Kouwenhoven, President and CEO of Hemlock Printers, and his team set an audacious goal: to become the “greenest printer in the world.”

Hemlock has done it! In 2009 the company was named the “Most Environmentally Progressive Printer in Canada” for the fourth consecutive year and received the “International 2008 Heidelberg Eco Printing Award for Most Sustainable Printing Company.”

Founded more than 40 years ago, Hemlock generates sales of more than $31 million CDN and the company’s 180 employees deliver high quality commercial offset and digital printing services and online print procurement and management solutions.

GMC: People perceive the printing industry to be antithetical to “green” business. When Hemlock started down this path a few years ago, how did you arrive at the decision to become the greenest printer in North America – and the world? Was the impetus to “go green” a top-down or bottom-up movement? Both?

Hemlock Printers: The original focus came from the top down, but it didn’t take long for a very active internal group to take over. We really kicked off our green focus in 2004 with our Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. While it’s fairly common to printers now, we were an early adopter and that lead us to think about sustainability as a business strategy.

FSC certification ensures that wood for paper and other forest products come from sustainably managed forests. We needed to communicate the advantages of certification to a market that didn’t know about it or understand it. So we looked at how we could turn it into a wider strategy for the company.

That led us to create the committee that developed our first environmental policy. As we set our goals to reflect the values of the company, the committee said “let’s set the standard internationally for green printing, for environmentally progressive printing.” It came out of a sincere desire to be a responsible business and to address our environmental footprint.

That was an ambitious goal; it seemed a little beyond the scope of where we were then. As we thought about it, we said why not? Why can’t we be? Our final decision was that if we do it we might as well do it really well. It actually happened!

We didn’t go into it as a marketing strategy or a desire to different our company, but a desire to lead the industry. We’re pleased to see other companies – both other printers and our clients – focused on sustainability too.

GMC: How can a company make a business case for sustainability initiatives? How did you go about it?

Hemlock Printers: We’ve discovered that initiatives driven by a desire to be green often have a positive financial impact. There are many instances where we’ve discovered that what is good for the environment, also saves money.

There are really two parts to a business case. First is the cost side. By concentrating on “lean manufacturing” you can measure results through waste reduction and process improvement. For example, by changing some of our processes, we’ve cut our waste pickup from daily to twice weekly and that saves us $10,000 to $15,000 a year.

The biggest improvement recently has been our filtration system. As a company we had to deal with a variety of waste chemicals, water usage, and discharge issues; those have been eliminated. We invested $70,000 on the system and the labor savings alone have given us a one-year payback.

You discover these things as you go along. If you try to build a business case to save money, you might never attempt projects like these.

The other part of the business case is the revenue side. It’s harder to measure, but initiatives like Zero, our Carbon Neutral Printing Program, and our FSC endorsement are all stories the sales reps can use to differentiate us as a company. How many companies respond because we are a green company? That’s hard to document.

It’s a combination of elements – quality, pricing, and environmental sensitivity – that all come together. We are seeing more requests for proposal (RFPs) that have environmental specifications where we are measured against other companies. We know we’ve been awarded contracts in part because of our environmental initiatives.

We’ve learned from, networked with, and shared practices with other companies in our community to broaden the effect of these programs. We readily share what has worked for us and where we have found the biggest impacts.

GMC: How do you measure the results of your green initiatives?

Hemlock Printers: Hemlock is a small company, but we measure as much as we can. We measure our waste reduction and our carbon footprint, and track the kind of paper we buy.
It’s a concentrated effort, we write down what we’ve accomplished, put some metrics behind it, and then report the results.

With our new carbon neutral program we need to collect as much information as we can, especially for paper purchases. We have a reporting system to know how many jobs we’ve done in order to know how many offsets we have to purchase. To do that requires that our suppliers give us precise statistics for all the paper purchased.

We measure what we can without getting obsessive; it’s part of our everyday process so we don’t have to search for the data when we want to report our results. It’s already there.

GMC: How have you embedded your green goals into your incentive and reporting structure, into your corporate DNA?

Hemlock Printers: We don’t actually incent our managers to be green; it’s just part of the way we do business.

It is important that our environmental values be incorporated as a high level goal within our mission statement. We have an environmental policy, but it hasn’t been embedded in the mission statement yet. It’s in practice but it hasn’t really be articulated to all stakeholders.

There is always more we can do. We’ve been focused on external initiatives as we launched the carbon neutral program. Now we want to bring it back to an internal focus and communicate more with our staff, like we did in the beginning. It’s an ongoing thing.

GMC: How do you work with designers to help them design for the environment, to make their products more recyclable or reusable?

Hemlock Printers: The question of recyclability comes up regularly. We try to steer specifications to materials that can be recycled. Most fiber-based materials can be accepted in to the regular recycling streams.

For example, we’ve encouraged our lamination supplier to stock a biodegradable lamination. Many printed products require some kind of laminated coating to give them strength and protect the image; unfortunately most laminates are not recyclable.

Working together we can offer a cellulose-based product that is only slightly more expensive than traditional plastic. Developed for window envelopes, the film has been turned into a laminating film.

We also regularly have creative professionals in Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) and students in local design programs come and tour the operation. As part of those tours we give presentations about green printing concepts and designing with the environment in mind.

Most recently, in partnership with GDC we’ve initiated a scholarship program. The criteria are still being developed but the intent is to have students submit actual projects to compete.

GMC: Is your “greenness” a marketing strategy or is it the message that underlies your marketing strategy?

Hemlock Printers: Hemlock is regarded as one of the best printers in North America; we are really an exceptionally good printer who happens to have green in our DNA. We certainly don’t say, “we’re really green and we deliver approximately what you want…”!

We definitely communicate our environmental achievements but it isn’t our strategy to say we are green first. We keep our focus on our quality and core products.

People don’t buy a product just because it’s green. When the choice is between two similar products, they will select the one that happens to be greener. The criteria are quality and price, but also green, not green first or instead of quality and price.

In print services, you buy quality and price first. If we focus too much on the green aspect, we are almost encouraging a response that has a very short life.

To learn more about Hemlock Printers, visit their website.

According to Shel Horowitz, author of Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green, to deliver green messaging effectively requires combining marketing and education. It gives green consumers proof that you are “walking the walk.”

For those who aren’t “green aware,” you can be an educator; show them why sustainability is important and how you’ll help them be part of the solution.

Here are Horowitz’s 10 guideposts to balance your messages with education and proof:

1. Combine Appeal to Consumer Self-Interest with Appeal to a Higher Good. Consumers feel really great about supporting companies that not only have a social and environmental mission, but also deliver the goods: low prices, high quality, healthy ingredients or other benefits.
2. Acknowledge -- and EXPLAIN -- Your Green Certifications. Be sure to mention your achievements in your messaging -- and take a moment to say what they mean and why they’re important.
3. Stand Tall with Your Values. The person who said “nice guys finish last” was a liar! Don’t hide your light.
4. Embrace the Big Picture. And don’t underestimate your audience.
5. Make Sure Your Messages Use Environmentally Friendly Media. Use the appropriate media, don’t just assume electronic is “greener.”
6. Know Your Market. Take the time to find out what’s important to your customers, and how you can advance their goals.
7. Engage Your Customer. Once a one-way street called “push,” marketing is now much more effective when it creates dialogue, participation and engagement.
8. Consider Cause Marketing Partnerships. Working with the right charity partners can advance everyone’s goals.
9. Meet Challenges the Right Way. Too many companies are so afraid of criticism that they engage in cover-ups -- and do they ever get criticism when they’re found out
10. Be Honest … Don’t greenwash. All the green messaging in the world won’t build your credibility unless it’s true.

Read the details behind these ten points here: 10 Ways to Make Your Message Resonate with Green Consumers.

Columbia Sportswear is a prime example of a Northwestern company: hardworking, modest and passionate about the natural environment. When we asked the management team to describe how they are marketing themselves as a green company, the answer was, “We are not ‘marketing’ so much as hoping to educate and inspire people.”

Recent programs to coordinate the wide range of “green” initiatives going on in silos throughout the company are an effort to put structure in place. Columbia’s corporate responsibility program was founded on labor compliance many years ago, and the company is well respected through the outdoor industries segment. The vision is to balance all the legs of the triple bottom line: People, Planet, Profit.

As a company, Columbia Sportswear’s sustainability efforts focus on reducing upstream impacts, such as energy and materials usage in the manufacturing of its products, and the responsible management of downstream waste, including recycling and reusing packaging.

GMC: Is “green” a strategy for Columbia Sportswear? Are you marketing “green?”

Columbia: We don’t consider sustainability a “green marketing strategy;” it’s just the way we do business. We want to be honest and transparent in our communication, not boastful about it. We’re just saying that we are doing some things, and there is lots more to be done.

People need to see companies doing something and then say, “I could do that.” It’s setting an example. We’re looking to inform, educate and inspire.

In the Northwest, we take a lot for granted. For example, we don’t think twice about recycling. That speaks both to where we are and who we are. We’re located in the Northwest where everyone is “green.” We’re focused on clothing for outdoor enthusiasts, and our staff leans that way too.

For example, we have year-round bike commuters, some of whom are really “hard core.” We provide bike lockers for them, and generally there are as many as 30 bikes in the locker at a time. Because Columbia is located in the suburbs, not in Portland proper, some ride as many as 20 to 30 miles daily to come to work. These are dedicated bike transit people!

GMC: Late last summer, you launched a new program to reduce the amount of packaging that needs to be recycled or disposed of. Please fill us in on “A Box Life.”

Columbia: With the launch of our new e-commerce website, we added an option that has gotten a lot of attention. It’s as simple as checking a box in the shopping cart. Customers can select a “used” box for delivery of their order.

To help customers become more engaged with the concept of “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” we have created “A Box Life.” By adding a special label with a QR code on outgoing boxes, we developed a way for customers to track the route the box has taken, both as a container for Columbia products and as it is used to ship other items.

There is also a place where customers can upload photos showing how they are reusing their boxes. Visit the web page and watch our video to learn about the origin of the project.

The response has been overwhelming! When we put the program together, our original goal was to have more than half of Columbia’s shipments going out in used boxes. Since the launch, about 2/3 of all online customers have requested used boxes.

While consumer products are shipped in poly bags – unless the used box option is selected – corrugated boxes are used throughout our distribution network. Boxes are shipped between our distribution centers or returned from retail customers or consumers. In the past, those boxes would have been recycled; now they are reused.

It’s challenging from the logistics side to collect, “size,” store and use opened and empty boxes. We haven’t done the analysis to determine whether the program is saving us money. Actually, that wasn’t the intent.

Our alternate package if we don’t ship a used box is a polybag, unless the item is too large. The polybags we use are flat and easy to use, and they contain recycled content. They are also recyclable in waste streams that accept that kind of plastic. We have three sizes of bags, so we can “right size” bags for shipping without having to use any filler. We use air pillows in boxes when we need to add filler.

The polybags have a “reuse this bag” message printed on them, and, to make them as reusable as possible, they include two adhesive strips to enable, second use. They can be resealed after opening for returns or for a second use.

GMC: You have some initiatives around your facilities as well. About a year ago, you installed solar panels on your headquarters building and you’ve LEED-certified two of your stores. Please tell us more…

Columbia: Because we have facilities around the world, we are concerned about the sustainability of our facilities, too. We’ve installed a 100 KW solar electric system that consists of 570 photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on the roofs of two of our buildings at our headquarters. Those panels are connected to the local utility electric grid via an inverter; the power generated by the system is fed back into the grid and credited to our account.

We have also achieved LEED certification for both our Portland flagship store and our downtown Seattle store. There are many different types of certification, and we have received “LEED for Retail Interiors” certification.

Different buildings and different uses have different impacts. For retail, for example, the lighting impacts may be more intensive, and so the certification has to reflect that. In a different type of space, water consumption may be more important.

GMC: What are some of the other kinds of sustainability initiatives you have in place?

Columbia: As part of our community outreach, we donate scrap and textiles to groups that can use them for a variety of projects. We donate to Soles for Souls and give single shoes for someone who only needs one shoe to National Odd Shoe Exchange (NOSE). One of our retail outlets offers bundled hangers on [craisglist.org] to donate to garage sales and consignment shops.

Every location is different, and every store has different opportunities. We are continually looking for new ways to set an example.

To learn more about Columbia Sportswear, visit: http://www.columbia.com
Columbia Sportswear contributors to this conversation:
Paul Zaengle, Senior Director of E-commerce
Kristen Sagan, Manager, Sustainability
Ron Parham, Senior Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications
Leslie Constans, Public Relations

In the larger scheme of things, marketing is set of activities, functions, and processes for creating and communicating products and services that deliver value for customers, clients, and partners. Unfortunately, for many companies, “green marketing” has become a label that describes the way they tout their sustainability efforts and flaunt the responsibility of their products and practices.

Perhaps we should consider using the term “marketing green” to more realistically describe how marketing practices are applied to not only improving the environmental and social performance of products and services, but also to communicating those values and impacts.

By moving from green marketing to marketing green companies can also avoid “green washing,” A quick check of Wikipedia gives us this excellent definition of “green washing;” Significantly more money or time is spent advertising being green, rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices. This is often portrayed by changing the name or label of a product, to give the feeling of nature; for example, putting an image of a forest on a bottle containing harmful chemicals.

To ensure that you are marketing green, you can take some solid steps that will result in defining, developing, and delivering truly green products and services.

First, look inside your company and assess your corporate mission and values. Are you committed and actively working to reduce your environmental impacts? If not, any efforts you make to describe your products and services as “green” will simply be green washing. And today’s consumer is leery of anything that looks like touting and flaunting. Here are some steps you take:
• Understand your products’ lifecycles. Where can you make the biggest environmental impact? Sometimes the biggest dollar spent does not give you the best impact, so look closely.
• Add or improve the availability of environmentally friendly products. And – from the other side – eliminate any that are not. Now is the time to look at ways to improve your products. For consumer products, the biggest reduction in environmental impact can come in how your customers use your products.
• Examine your procurement, production, and packaging to understand their environmental and social impacts. Reach up and down the supply chain to understand how your suppliers’ suppliers’ affect the environment and society.
• Search for third party verification to ensure that any claims you make are valid and accurate, such as those from Green Star, Forest Stewardship Council, and other certifications and registrations.
• Become active in trade programs that shape the rules about how your industry sector both measures and improves the environmental performance of products and services.

Then communicate your green message to all your stakeholders: customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers and your community. Here are some of the ways you can ensure that your message is marketing green without green washing:
• Ask yourself if the initiative you are communicating is a significant environmental or social achievement. If not, don’t communicate it.
• Make sure your initiatives address an issue that is related to your core business and is of interest to your stakeholders. If not it may be perceived as an attempt to distract your audience.
• If you have not invested considerable resources (time and/or money) in the initiative, it probably won’t have a significant impact nor will it be worth communicating.
• Have you spent more money on the activity itself or on communications about it? There is generally an inverse relationship when the effort is on the message rather than the impact.

Founded in 1971, Data-Mail, Inc., is one of the nation’s largest volume direct mail processing and computer services companies. Employing over 800 people in a three-shift production environment, Data-Mail can produce over 5 million pieces of mail per day.

Shawn Asselin, Sales Manager for Data-Mail, talks about the company’s wide range of green initiatives, from sustainably-sourced papers and vegetable-based ink to sophisticated recycling/reuse programs.

GMC: We’re finding companies are implementing a wide range of green initiatives, from alternative energy resources to subsidized public transit use by employees to sophisticated recycling/reuse programs. What are some of the green initiatives you have implemented in your company?

SA: Well, Gail, first let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to speak to you today on behalf of my colleagues at Data-Mail.  You know, we’re proud to be a founding member of the Green Marketing Coalition and we’re a strong supporter of green initiatives in our industry.  We consider ourselves to be a leader in the direct mail, print, and production industry. We employ about 800 people in the Hartford Connecticut area, and mail about 5 million pieces of mail a day.

We believe we’re very proactive and proud to be innovative on various green initiatives internally.  You know, for example, in our print department, 100 percent of the energy used comes from renewable sources.  The monitors that we use for pre-press department are low energy and we have a robust recycling program that recycles not only our print and trim waste but also office waste as well, including print toner cartridges. 

We have U.S. Post Offices on-site in our facilities, where we sort and group the mail, which helps reduce trucking and lowers our carbon footprint.  We’ve invested heavily in commingling equipment this past year, which reduces our clients’ postage costs by sorting and shipping the mail for various customers together by common Zip codes thus requiring less trucking also.

We’ve also recently converted the lighting in our production facilities to high-efficiency devices with motion activators and we now produce materials in-house such as marketing membership cards for direct mail, which were previously purchased on the outside from a vendor in Chicago which required multiple shipments per order to deliver to us on the East Coast.

GMC: Are you finding your customers are asking you for more sustainable choices for their direct marketing projects? For instance, papers with higher post consumer waste (PCW) content or vegetable-based inks?

SA: Yes, they definitely are.  Clients are more environmentally aware and we are responding accordingly.  We are both FSC and FSI (sic) certified, which is you know the two primary third-party forest certification agencies, and they ensure that forests are managed in a responsible manner.

Clients frequently specify that we source paper for them that uses these certifications and many paper producers have responded by narrowing or eliminating the premium that these papers have historically cost in the past.

It’s a common misconception that these environmentally friendly papers carry a significant cost premium.  As an example one of our primary offset paper suppliers is a local New England paper mill that uses a biomass energy process to produce the paper and uses no fossil fuels in their papermaking.  By being a local mill, the paper also requires less trucking and it uses less fuel to deliver the paper to us, again, reducing the carbon footprint.  Also, some of our paper mill partners produce paper using electricity that is renewed by wind power or other sources of clean energy.

In our printing process, we use low VOC (volatile organic compounds) inks in our print department which are vegetable or soy-based as opposed to traditional chemical or petroleum-based inks.  And increasingly we find many of our customers and prospective clients will ask us these types of questions before awarding us the print order, frankly, or even allowing us to bid on their work.

GMC: Unfortunately direct mail is taking more than its share of the blame for waste; let’s talk about the ways you work with your clients to ensure that the right message is delivered to the right person at the right time, rather than ending up in the trash.

SA: Well, without question, one of the most important trends in our industry is that direct mail has become much more targeted to consumers who are more likely to be interested in the message that is being mailed to them.

The use of digital print equipment, such as Xerox iGen machines which we use at Data-Mail are able to provide a much more customized and variable message to customers.  Each piece can be unique to the recipient with message and color and can allow for higher rates of response with far fewer mailing pieces by targeting a smaller and more specific audience.

In addition, mailing lists continue to be smaller along with being more refined by making sure they’re current and they’re purged of duplicates of names and those which have expressed an interest in not being solicited by mail.

This has a dual benefit of providing a better ROI for marketers, allowing them to be more environmentally conscious by decreasing the amount of mail in the system that frankly might end up in the trash.  And there certainly seems to be some misperception of that issue; recent data from the EPA reports that only two percent of municipal waste was generated by advertising mail but many adults inaccurately thought that the figure would be substantially higher, close to 50 percent.  The percentage of standard mail that is recovered and recycled continues to increase each year and is now more than 40 percent and it was as low as 25 percent is 2003.

GMC: There has been a lot of discussion about "pixels vs. paper." Unfortunately, not many people look more closely at how different channels excel for different uses. Would you address value and opportunities for offline communication, i.e., direct mail, and those for online communication, i.e., direct email?   There are clearly times when each excels in response, value, and ROI.

SA: Well there certainly are.  Many of our clients find that traditional direct mail often yields the best response rates in their marketing efforts.  Most are highly focused on mailing to markets which typically respond well to traditional print media.  So often the combination of print and electronic media can provide the best overall results.

For example, we offer service to our clients which tracks the mail through the postal stream using an IMB (intelligent mail barcode) and the mail was completely tracked through the entire system.  We’re notified when the mail gets delivered to the household and using this technology it can trigger a follow up electronic marketing message such as e-mail, text, or a pURL, a personal URL, from us to the same recipient advising them to check their mailbox for an offer they may have interest in.

Our experience in the industry results show that this multi-channel marketing strategy is more effective than an electronic marketing campaign alone.  For example, we have a client that is a well-known Internet-based company that selected us to coordinate a combination print and electronic marketing campaign for them.  That client just introduced a print campaign that is a highly personalized variable pURL mailing.  The prospective customer is given a choice to respond electronically to the message on the Internet or they have the option to phone in to a call center, more traditionally, and respond to the offer.

We expect this piece to do very well in the market and I believe it will -- it shows a good example of how pixels and paper can work together in direct marketing.

GMC: You’ve been a member of the Green Marketing Coalition for some time now. Why did your company, Data-Mail, get involved in the Green Marketing Coalition? How is it contributing to your green initiatives?

SA: Well, we initially got involved with Green Marketing Coalition for a number of reasons and primarily because we embraced the idea of joining other direct marketers and industry partners so that we could share with each other our best green practices.  Also, we believe that as direct marketers we need to help reduce the impact on the environment within our industry and communicate the responsible practices that we use to consumers who are constantly hearing that paper and print are not necessarily environmentally friendly choices and as a group to help dispel myths and misinformation about that.

For example, the paper and forest products industry plants about 600 million trees in the US annually, far surpassing the amount that is harvested.  And frankly if these forests weren’t being used for the production of paper, the land could likely be sold and used for other purposes such as development.  So we feel that this is the best use for the forest.

We have also recruited a few of our industry partners and vendors to join the Coalition and found that they also have had positive experiences. Another benefit is the opportunity to network with peers in the industry and provides other members a chance to get to know each other and establish good connections.

We’re very glad we joined and would recommend membership in the Coalition to anyone who is interested in helping to promote green marketing practices.

Interview with Don Carli, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Communication.

Don Carli is Senior Research Fellow with nonprofit Institute for Sustainable Communication (ISC) where he is director of The Sustainable Advertising Partnership and other programs addressing advertising, marketing, corporate responsibility, sustainability, and enterprise communication. Don is an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Industry Studies Program Affiliate Scholar, Sustainability Editor of Aktuel Grafisk Information Magazine in Sweden and a contributor to PBS “MediaShift.” Don has been a senior advisor Fortune 1000 companies and has been extensively quoted in major media on issues related to sustainability, advertising, media and green marketing.

GMC: The story of sustainable media is a bad news/good news story. The bad news is that the public’s concern about our forests and the environment is justified. We do have a significant problem. The good news is that the solution lies in rethinking our use of pages and pixels to learn, collaborate, communicate, and make informed media supply chain choices.

We’re being bombarded, everyday, with catch phrases like “think about the environment before printing this email,” or “switching to e-billing saves trees.” Is the use of digital media really saving trees?

DC: I think that we’re presented all too often with forced choices, and frankly, in many cases, false dilemmas. Digital media and information technology are actually contributing to deforestation in very direct ways that most people are unaware of.

Print media is not perfect by any means. Forestry and the papermaking industry have enormous strides to make in improving the ways in which they use energy, materials, and address sustainability in their business practices.

Despite the fact that it has been given such a free ride as being categorically green, the use of digital media has extremely significant environmental impacts too. In particular, because so much electricity is derived from coal-fired power plants, digital media has a direct impact on deforestation as well.

GMC: Could you talk more about the public’s concern about the environment and our forests as a significant problem? How paper and online media contribute to that problem?

DC: The first thing to realize is that we should be concerned about the state of our forests. We should be concerned about deforestation; these are extremely significant global issues.

Forest cover in the United States has, in fact, increased over the past 100 years. Although some groups will argue that their definition of a forest doesn’t fit the criteria of sustainability; in other words, a monoculture plantation is not seen as a forest, where as old growth is.

The fact of the matter is that overall forest cover has increased in the United States, and sustainable forestry has increased, both in the US and worldwide. We should be concerned about deforestation, but we should also be very much aware of what is driving deforestation.

Frankly, hamburgers and condominiums are doing more to drive deforestation, as is coal-fired power, than papermaking or print media.

GMC:  You’ve used a term called “gray energy” when you talk about electricity and coal-fired power. Please explain that more fully.

DC:  Gray energy is another way of describing the embodied energy in a product; that is, the energy that was required to make it.

In the sense of a digital product, for example, the computing devices, the information technology, the network infrastructure, don’t grow on trees. Somebody had to crack open

Interview with Harold Kirstein, President Greenstar-Kensington

In 1910, Harold Kirstein’s great-grandfather was a “rag man” or “trash man” who used to pick up newspapers, glass bottles, rags and other usable trash. Over the last century, handling of recyclables has changed from a horse and wagon business to multi-million dollar automated processing business. Kirstein’s great-grandfather’s business evolved into American Recycling and the company became part of Greenstar in 2008. 

Greenstar, America’s fastest growing recycler, is headquartered in Texas. The company currently processes 2 million tons of recovered paper, plastic, glass and metals a year through 16 material recovery facilities.

GMC: When we think of a "green" company, the first thing that comes to mind is recycling; particularly recycling of paper products, glass, and plastics. We don’t often take a closer look at the company doing the recycling. In the early 1900s, cities began to provide regular collection of trash; how has the business changed over the last 100 years?

Kirstein: I’ve been in this business for over 40 years. Things stayed pretty much the same from 1910 until the late 60s and early 70s. Automated process machinery such as high-density balers brought about dynamic changes.

Of late, the biggest changes are geared more towards “single stream” recycling and larger capacity balers for other recyclables. In the past, a state of the art baler could process five tons of material an hour. Now 30 to 40 tons an hour is the norm. As a result there is a big increase in capital costs. Machines used to cost $100,000, now they cost millions. 

GMC: People might assume that a recycling company is green because - after all - you’re recycling.  How are you expressing your environmental commitment? What are you doing within your plant to make your operation green? 

stein:  You’re right, people assume that you’re green, and in our case, we are. We are proud that Greenstar was recognized in 2009 as a Climate Leader by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Recycling is one of the best ways to decrease greenhouse gases and preserve our natural resources.  Based on EPA estimates, by recycling 2 million tons each year, Greenstar is reducing emissions by approximately 6 million Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (MTCO2E). That’s equivalent to:
• Removing 1.3 million cars from the nation’s roads
• Eliminating the energy use of 182,000 households
• Saving 6 million barrels of oil, 275 million gallons of gasoline
• Preserving 4 million cubic yards of landfill space 

In addition to the carbon reductions achieved by recycling activities specifically, Greenstar made a voluntary commitment to the EPA to reduce its own carbon emissions by 10% over the next five years.    

For example, when it comes to our office environment, we have our own recycling programs and most of us take pride in recycling at home as well.  In our plants, the new equipment and new technologies use much less energy, so that also contributes to a positive green scenario. 

And, we work closely with the direct mail industry to produce mail pieces that can be easily and more efficiently recycled.

GMC: In some cities, residents separate out various recycling streams such as glass, plastic, and paper, while in others everything goes onto one bin. What is the impetus behind single stream processing? Intuitively it seems more expensive.

As the new decade ushers in, the opportunity exists to think ahead, to ask the question . . . so what can we expect in 2010 related to green marketing?  Following are a few thoughts derived from multiple sources.

What about overall public sentiment?  Well, the general consensus is that consumers around the world are becoming increasingly more environmentally aware.  Many are adopting personal philosophies of reducing their own personal carbon footprint.  Another interesting fact about these consumers is that those who prioritize environmental consciousness are considered to be more affluent and loyal to those they do business with. These few thoughts alone, just scream that now, more than ever, is the time to gain momentum for green marketing initiatives and campaigns.

It is forecast that 2010 will see increased spending on green marketing.  While initially the economic downturn seemed to slow the green movement, there are many who believe it is now propelling the movement.  The economy with its challenges resulted in lifestyle changes for consumers, which in return has led to an embrace of simplicity by many.  This preference for simplicity translates into a greater appeal for green organizatons and products, provided the value proposition is appealing.  It is a perfect time to educate your customers and potential customers not just about what you are doing, but why it really matters.  If possible, even give them some way, whether large or small, to participate on a peronal level with your initiative, to be part of something bigger.  It is critical though, that your message be legitimate.  You need to be doing what you say you are doing, or the repercussions can be significantly negative.

In terms of specific areas of emphasis, what might 2010 hold?  Manufacturing plants and offices are looking longer and harder to reduce carbon emissions.  Those already using recycled paper are looking to further increase post consumer waste content.  We will increasingly use electronic files such as PDFs when possible in work flow.  Less really is more.  More effective use of databases will continue to result in increased campaign success, while at the same time being substantially better for the environment.  None of the aforementioned is brand new.  They are continuations of what has been evolving and occurring in the green movement.  I believe they reinforce a renewed focus on the importance of small incremental changes.  We don’t have to reinvent the wheel; we just have to keep the wheel moving along.  If done right, with real thought put into application, each additional green action or step literally has a snowball effect - exponentially, positively impacting the environment, our businesses and our customers.  What a win!

This article was originally posted on MediaPostBlogs on November 25, 2009 and is reproduced here with her permission.

Green marketing is no longer solely the responsibility of the marketing department. Successful marketing actually depends on, well, the new marketing team; the members of that team however, may surprise you.

As businesses embrace a sustainable model, they move from a shareholder to a stakeholder focus; the latter is a more diverse group, and its members are participants in receiving and transmitting your messaging. That is really good news when done properly; it can be detrimental for an organization that doesn’t get it right.

Those stakeholders are composed of anyone that is influenced by the company directly or indirectly, including shareholders; in this newer model, stakeholders and shareholders need not be mutually exclusive. It also includes employees and their families, communities surrounding a company facility, supply chain and partners, customers and any charities the company donates time or services to. In this newer model, stakeholders and shareholders need not be mutually exclusive.

Marketing, perhaps in conjunction with a Chief Sustainability Officer or other similarly titled role, now has two general audiences for which to create messaging frameworks -- internal and external. Internal is anyone who may be perceived as a part of the company, whether a payroll employee, a board member or a valued partner. External remains the traditional audience marketing has been speaking to: prospects and customers.

The success of any green marketing program is actually more than just that. It can hold the key to the success and brand reputation of a company that is making green claims and promises. If the internal team has not gotten and embraced the company’s message, the repercussions can be significant and potentially damaging to the brand.

A reputable and responsible company can be perceived as greenwashing if the communication internally is not properly executed; this can be as harmful to a brand as actually engaging in bad corporate behavior.

Consider the following scenario, which I have experienced on a few occasions. An advertisement touts a green product you are not familiar with. You contact the company to find out more. The person who answers the phone, whether it is a receptionist or a member of the sales team, gives you the verbal equivalent of a blank or confused stare. They have no idea what green product you are referring to and don’t seem to recognize any terms that were mentioned in their own ad; they are even unaware of what products are being advertised, and don’t know who to refer you to within the company. Cleary, this scenario outlines problems that extend well beyond green marketing requirements.

While in-depth green expertise and knowledge is not to be expected of an entire organization, achieving a base level of understanding, as well as awareness of a your company’s mission and corporate behavior, is certainly attainable, as is identifying the go to experts within the organization.

The advent of social media necessitates this shared company wide knowledge. All levels of employees become part of your marketing team as they engage in social media, whether designated by the company to tweet and blog, or on their own when posting their LinkedIn profiles.

The old model of marketing pushing outbound messages to a target audience has been replaced by a multi-participant, two-way conversation, changing the game significantly and requiring many more participants to be successful.

The key to successful green marketing starts internally by creating a well-informed team of stakeholders, who are now part of the marketing team. For green marketing to succeed, it takes a village.

At this time of year, many of us are creating marketing plans for next year. It wasn’t too long ago that we could get away with updating the previous year’s goals, plans and budgets with some new numbers and call it done.

No more. Too much is changing. The economic turmoil may be calmer, but it’s not over. And emerging media are making our lives more interesting (or should I say difficult’) every day. The best idea is to start from a clean slate – or at least reconsider our options – to determine the best approach.

If you’re thinking about environmental issues, you may gravitate toward electronic communications. Before jumping in completely, it’s important to ask whether business objectives can be met through email, search or online display advertising.

It’s unlikely all paper mail can be replaced by email, but where it makes sense to do so, we should. For example, if you have collected customer email addresses, communicating electronically will likely return positive results for you – in both response and ROI!

Where we need to use traditional mail, embracing environmentally friendly production methods should be part of the consideration.  Responders can often be sent online where you can collect opt-in email information for future efforts or to fulfill offers.
 
In a competitive and challenging economy, we need to use all the tools we have to reach customers and prospects and think through how we can meet our business objectives in an environmentally conscious way.

 

I attended a fascinating “green” meeting on September 17. It was the www.sustainableindustries.com/forums here in Seattle.

The keynote speaker was Paul Hawken, author and business person – probably best known for launching Smith & Hawken, the gardening retail outlet. I say “probably” – but I confess that Smith & Hawken was all I knew about Paul Hawken before the event. I certainly had no idea about his credentials in environmentalism.

Hawken was brilliant and totally inspirational.

One of his concluding points was about the power of organizations that bring businesses together to solve environmental issues. We need more organizations like the www.usgbc.org, now the largest environmental NGO in the world. (Who would have guessed?) He suggested the formation of a green banking council, a green agriculture council, a green chemical council and a green transportation council.

And I wanted to stand up and say, “Yes! And what about a Green Marketing Coalition, too?”

The basic recipe for paper is wood, water, and energy. First, trees are harvested and transported to the paper mill. Logs are cleaned and the wood is turned into small chips. Water is added to the chips and, using chemical or mechanical processes, turned into watery pulp. This solution is sprayed onto a long, wide screen called a wire. Water drains out and is recycled over and over again (the original use for grey water). The fiber mat that remains on the wire is squeezed by felt rollers until the pulpy stuff is about 60% water. The wet pulp passes through heated, steam-filled metal cylinders (like wringers on vintage washing machines) many times, gradually turning into paper. The paper gets a uniform thickness by passing through big, heavy cast iron rollers called a calendar. At the end of the line is a roll of paper as wide as 30 feet.

Recycling adds fibers from previously made paper to the pulp mix. This isn’t as easy as it may sound. As much as 20% of what goes into a recycle bin can’t be used. Trash, such as staples, paper clips, wire and plastic must be screened out and sent to a landfill. Inks, coating and adhesives must be removed. Some fibers may have been recycled many times before and are now too short to produce paper. These will simply stay in the wastewater. Fibers get shorter and shorter with each recycle and can only be used five to seven times. Producing pulp from wastepaper requires more energy than creating pulp from virgin wood because the fibers must be broken down mechanically.

Collecting recyclable paper is still one of the most expensive aspects of paper recycling. The process involves sorting the paper into categories, baling it, and transporting it where it will be re-pulped. The paper is put into large vats where it is soaked, reducing it into fibers. When ink starts to separate from the fibers, chemicals are added to prevent the ink from reattaching to the paper fibers. The pulp goes through a series of screens to remove ink and additives and is cleaned several times with heat and chemicals to remove additional ink. The pulp then enters a floatation device, where a chemical mixture containing calcium soap is introduced. Air bubbles form causing any remaining ink to float to the surface where it can be skimmed away. After the de-inking process, the pulp is ready to be made into paper and related products, just as if it were pulp that had been made from wood chips.

Even with all this extra work, using recycled paper is more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than cutting down trees and transporting them to a paper mill. And it keeps – literally – tons of paper from going to landfills.

 

The Print Council recently issued news of a position paper it will be releasing this month, entitled, Why Print is Green. (http://www.theprintcouncil.org/PressReleases/09Aug25.pdf)

This report should spur us to inform our customers and prospects about our own environmentally responsible corporate policies and practices, and underscore how we, along with companies in our industry, are striving to make financially and environmentally sound decisions. Some notable facts highlighted in the report include:

• In 2008, more than 57 percent of paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling, more than any material. The paper industry is aiming to reach 60 percent recycling by 2012. Every additional percentage point means that a million tons of paper are recovered.
• Less than 10 percent of U.S. power comes from renewable sources, but in the pulp and paper industry, that figure is greater than 60 percent.
• The average person’s paper use for a year — 440 pounds — is produced by 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity, the amount used to power one computer continuously for five months.

I look forward to reading more about how to market print services as green when The Print Council’s position paper becomes available, and you should too.

 

We hear a lot about the importance of being "green" in our everyday business practices:  conserve, recycle, and reuse.  Equally important to "green" practices are sustainable business practices:  support, increase, and maintain environmentally friendly and responsible initiatives.  I’ve outlined below some ideas for you and your company to consider and explore, and perhaps, to adopt.  These programs can be powerful tools in a company’s overall energy management strategy.

Demand Response Capacity Programs compensate participants for reducing their energy consumption in response to peak system demand (i.e. hot summer days) and grid emergencies.  The program is designed to reduce the demand on an area’s central energy grid.  Companies are asked to curtail their energy requirements; they are not asked to shut down.  Participants in the program receive monthly payments based on a previously agreed upon reduction in electricity consumption during system emergencies, regardless of whether or not they are ever called upon to respond.  These programs provide numerous cost savings and environmental benefits including earning revenue for your company, reducing your company’s energy expenses, reducing the need for more power plants, and lowering carbon dioxide and other emissions.

Energy Efficiency Programs are designed to assist customers in managing their energy usage and costs.  By purchasing or installing specific equipment and systems, your company will receive rebates credited to your electric account.  Specific program details must be met; however, it’s a measurable way to save money and to reduce energy requirements.  To get started, you need only to contact your utility representative.

White Certificates are credits provided to participants for investing in energy efficient products, or achieving a predetermined reduction in energy consumption.  Every validated kilowatt a company saves accumulates towards a white certificate.  These certificates can then either be traded to other participants who cannot meet their predefined targets, or used for their own usage.  Benefits include reducing both energy consumption and costs.

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) represent one megawatt hour of electricity generated from renewable resources (i.e. solar, wind, biomass, hydro, and geothermal).  Companies that produce renewable energy sell it to the wholesale power market for some market value.  All energy sources are then commingled on the power grid.  Consumers do not necessarily receive electricity generated from the renewable resources; however, their purchasing RECs support the production of renewable energy.  Ultimately, RECs subsidize the development of renewable energy resources to displace energy generated from fossil fuels.

Data-Mail understands the importance and impact of our efforts both as a company and as individuals on the environment.  We participate in Demand Response Capacity Programs and Energy Efficiency Programs.  Additionally, we plan to operate on 100% green power credits by the end of 2009.

Yesterday I drove by something that almost made me drive right off the road.  A Hummer that was wrapped with information promoting a local printer.  I couldn’t believe it.  With so much press about paper waste and how print shops and other direct mail houses can be wasteful and not conscientious enough about the environment, why would a print shop advertise itself on a Hummer’  A Prius yes, a Hummer no!  The first thing I thought of when I saw it was, I sure hope it’s not an FSC-certified shop!

Making steps towards sustainability begins at home, or in this case at work.  A little advice for the print shop…take out a ZipCar or bicycle instead of the Hummer.  I don’t think you’re doing our industry any favors.

As direct marketers have more choices than ever on how to spend their ever dwindling marketing budget, I thought it would be helpful to pass along some useful information, some from our paper mill partners, that will help marketers as they evaluate various options of how to best get their message out to consumers.

In our personal lives, we have all taken important steps to reduce our impact on the environment and in most cases, we have in our business lives as well. It is important that we each do our part. Recent studies have found the following:

• 43% of companies plan to increase spending on green marketing practices in 2009.
• 82% of consumers are focused on buying green products and services.
• 7 out of 10 consumers pay attention to company practices regarding the environment and 35% have a higher interest today than one year ago.
• 57% of the population is now aware of the term "carbon footprint" up from 38% in 2007

Print communication can be a responsible and effective choice for green marketing. Paper mills and printers have been meeting their environmental goals as recycling and responsible forest practices have greatly increased in recent years. Here are some examples:

• U.S. forestland has increased by 10 million acres in the last 20 years.    
• In 2007, 57% of all paper and paperboard waste (45.2 million tons) were recovered from recycling and 40.3% of standard mail was recovered, up from 23.9% in 2003. 
• The EPA reported that only 2% of municipal waste was generated by advertising mail but many adults incorrectly thought the figure to be substantially higher, at 53%. 
• A recent study concluded that consumers rank direct mail 3.9 out of 5 as their preferred channel of marketing. E-mail follows at 3.7 and all ohers rank below.
• 75% say they have made a purchase as a result of direct mail and catalogs and direct mail generate the second and third highest response rates, just behind telemarketing.

Using environmentally responsible paper for print projects costs less than many people realize as a November ’08 study showed that 2/3 of marketing/creative professionals incorrectly believed that "green" paper costs more, by an average of 23%. In many cases, it often costs the same as "virgin" paper -- and there are substantially more choices available today from every major paper supplier and mill than ever before.  

 

According to the Winterberry Group’s 2009 Direct Mail Trends report, direct mail marketers were focused on promoting efforts to go green in 2008. In fact, Winterberry cites, in 2008, more printing service providers (some 1,492) were certified by the Forest Stewardship Council—an independent body that promotes responsible forest management—than ever before. What’s more, the Direct Marketing Association introduced its Green 15 initiative, setting out a formal set of “environmentally responsible decisions” for its members worldwide. And the Federal Trade Commission revisited its “Green Guides,” introducing new packaging requirements that provide general guidelines for all environmental marketing claims, including popular green marketing terms “recyclable” and “biodegradable.” However, as the recession took hold, businesses and consumers directed their attentions away from green initiatives and refocused on the very real concerns of income and commercial survival.

As marketers grappling with how to drive business and simultaneously committed to employing environmentally sound practices, what are some realistic direct mail program tactics we can recommend and implement that are both financially and environmentally sound’ One to consider might be digital print on demand. K/P Corporation CEO Susan Kelly offers her thoughts on the benefits of digital print on demand in a March 16 DMNews article, “It’s Easy Being Green, with the Right Tactics.” 

In short, by leveraging digital assets that allow for personalized communication and print on demand tactics that make it possible, marketers can create more relevant dialogue with clients and prospects and drive leads, while at the same reducing print, delivery, storage and disposal costs and their consequential environmental impact.

Mr. Brett Olszewski is Chief Marketing and Sales Officer for K/P Corporation.

I wanted to share MSP’s Earth Day/Week activities and inquire as to what others may be planning or doing, and then share a few thoughts regarding sustainability.

Our organization decided to seize the momentum that has been growing related to our green movement and really make Earth Day/Week standout.  Obviously the goal is to raise awareness of the green initative, with our primary purpose this year of focusing our employees on the little things that each person does that can help the environment on a daily basis.  For example, we are sending reminders regarding recycling, encouraging the use of one papertowel instead of five, and just asking for the use of "Good Green Judgment." 

We are also doing the following activities:

• Sending a "Celebrate Earth Day with MSP" card with wildflower seeds for planting.  We ask our clients that we send this to, to please plant the seeds, and we share some other activities we are engaging in, as well as announce our FSC certification.
• Earth Day Slogan Contest.  We are offering a $50 prize for the best entry.  We ask our employees to suggest a slogan for the MSP Green Team which will be the motto for the team for the remainder of 2009.
• "Get Caught Wearing Something Green".  We picked a day to promote green awareness.  All those who are "caught wearing something green" are put into a drawing for two $25 gift cards.
• On Earth Day (April 22nd) we are giving a piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, watermelon slice) to each employee.
• Seed packet giveaway.  We are putting together several baskets throughout the organization that are full of seed packets.  Employees are encouraged to take a packet of their choice for planting.
• Green Goes Red Blood Drive.  Tying the green initiative into the greater sustainability issue, we are conducting an on-site blood drive administered by the Red Cross. Our target is for 38 employees to donate blood.  Response has been strong.
• Additional activies occuring around Earth week include the planting of numerous trees on the MSP property, grounds clean-up (a daily/weekly iniative within MSP) and the exploration of new lighting options plant wide to reduce electrical usage and increase efficiencies. 

I’d love to hear what you are doing, or your comments on these activities.

One other thought I’d like to leave you with is encouraging you to reflect upon the whole idea of sustainability, which provides an even broader array in terms of making a difference.  As a Human Resources practitioner I am exposed to considerable information related to this growing movement.  In my opinion, sustainability encompasses green practices, but then takes them a bit broader.  Sustainability deals with ensuring the future survivial of our earth on a large scale, but there is the interesting component which focuses on the health of our organizations too -- making sure we have solid policies, procedures, management, fiscal responsibility, etc., in place to sustain the business, meet our customer needs, contribute to the community, the list goes on and on.  I guess the bottom line in my opinion is that being green (and expanding into overall sustainability) is not only the right thing to do - it actually makes sense in terms of the business model too!