10 Ways Catalogers Can Help Save the Planet

Recently there’s been a groundswell of consumer support for sustainable business practices among marketers. And no group has drawn more ire than catalogers, whose efforts are visible to the public every day in the mailbox. Fortunately, the printing and paper industries have a wide range of tools and processes available to reduce the carbon footprint of mailings. Here are 10 key practices you should implement to make your business more sustainable:

1. Think big picture. It’s the whole supply chain, not just paper. What happens down the line starts at the design stage. Form a team and think the catalog through from beginning to end. Maybe a heavier-weight paper keeps you from having to reprint a catalog that gets frequent use.

2. Modeling and targeting. Use database mining to identify your best customers and most likely prospects. With this information, use print technology to create customized catalogs for each customer to improve customer receptiveness and results.

3. Practice list hygiene best practices. Stop the waste of undeliverable and unwanted mail by cleaning up your mailing lists. Only rent lists from companies that also practice good list hygiene.

4. Digitize the front-end process. Work with print vendors who can provide 100 percent digital work flow, from order entry to 3-D dummy creation to proofing and plating. You’ll save time and money while eliminating important ecological hazards including chemicals, fuel and more.

5. Get your vegetables. Specifying soya- and agri-based inks can significantly lower volatile organic compound emissions. The percentage of vegetable oil in the ink depends on the printing process. Use only aqueous coatings.

6. Choose paper wisely. This involves more than specifying your paper’s recycled content. Consider weight and dimensional issues, as well as evaluating papers made from fiber under a recognized, sustainable forest management system along with chain of custody certified printers.

7. Know your printer. Materials are only part of the equation. Understand your printer’s emissions standards, paper purchasing policies, internal recycling programs and environmental certifications. Is your printer investing in newer equipment that tends to be more efficient and has a lower impact on the environment?

8. Consolidate. Co-mailing and freight consolidation programs put catalogs deeper into the mailstream with greater efficiency. Seek print suppliers who offer creative distribution programs. You’ll save on postage, too.

9. Pay attention to the little things. Specify biodegradable polybag, and switch to ink-jet addressing if you’re still using labels. Little things add up across an entire industry.

10. Tell the story. Catalogs and direct mail represent only 2.4 percent of municipal landfill waste, yet consumer perception is much higher. Let customers know how well we’re doing with recycling and other green practices that promote sustainability. And be sure to add any applicable environmental logos to your catalog, including a reference to the book’s ability to be recycled.

Bruce Jensen is vice president of U.S. sales for Transcontinental Printing’s (www.transcontinental-printing.com) catalog group, which offers a full range of production and distribution services to catalog marketers.