Sustainable Communications

Reducing waste and redundancy in your communications mix can benefit your marketing budget and build goodwill with your customers. A single marketing campaign may leverage several message delivery vehicles and utilize a mix of media outlets. A sustainable communications strategy measures its success by looking at the environmental efficiency of all the elements that make up its execution.

Good campaigns require a mix of different media types:

• Catalogs provide a tangible brand experience at home, keep brands top-of-mind and drive consumers to our customers’ retail location or e-store site.
• Direct mail can effectively “push” messages to target audiences on print media, while digital communications work well for “pull” campaigns that solicit information or feedback from consumers.

Quick Facts on Electronic Footprints

• The creation and delivery of direct mail generates less greenhouse gas emissions than an eight-minute shower.
• The latest report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations indicates that between 1990 and 2005 the net growth of forested area in the US has increased by over 4,000,000 hectares (10,900,000 acres).
• Annually, energy consumption at U.S. data centers increases 24 percent, while the U.S. pulp and paper industry has reduced energy use by 24 percent over the last 25 years.
• According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 58 percent of the paper used in the U.S. was recovered for recycling in 2008, comparatively; only 18 percent of electronic waste in the U.S. was recycled.
• The footprint of paper for one three-by-five-inch direct mail card is equal to roughly a minute and a half of viewing time of a web site.
• One hour of television viewing each day has the same carbon footprint as 1,900 letters.
• *Most standard coated papers can be recycled.

Environmentally Responsible Communications

Reducing waste and redundancy of print communications will reduce costs associated with production and postage, and reduce the environmental impact of processing, distributing and disposing of unnecessary communications.

Try these strategies:

• Eliminate undeliverable mail by scrubbing your mailing lists.
• Develop targeted, segmented communications programs to increase the efficiency of your dollars and improve brand perceptions.
• Consolidate mailings to “Head of Household” or “Current Resident” rather than individual recipients, to reduce undeliverable mail.

Consider NewPage

Consider these sustainability advantages of NewPage when choosing your next supplier:

• Most of the energy we use is renewable.
• NewPage paper mills and distribution centers possess logistical advantages because of their proximity to New York, Chicago, Minneapolis and Atlanta, allowing us to efficiently deliver our products to these major markets.
• Our programs, like Lean Six Sigma, reduce mill downtime and lessen negative environmental impact by achieving manufacturing efficiencies.
• We offer a full range of paper products that are third-party certified—sourced and created in a responsible manner.
• We advocate the use of soy-based inks versus petroleum-based for direct mail, catalogs and brochures.

Contact NewPage to create a unique solution for your brand.