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PAS 2020 what’s it all about


T


he direct marketing industry is a major user of natural


resources—energy, wood, water,


and so on—and that means that we have a responsibility to ensure that these are used as efficiently


as possible—or potentially face regulation. Although there are a number of environmental standards already in existence, such as ISO 14001 for instance, these don’t define what a “good” environmental performance looks like or provide specific measures of performance. Cataloguers are often left asking the basic question, what do I have to do? This is why the Direct Marketing Association, in conjunction with a number of other organisations including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), developed PAS 2020 through the British Standards Institute.


PAS 2020 in detail PAS 2020 establishes a set of environmental


objectives, performance levels and indicators that set out how to create and manage environmentally responsible direct communications. PAS 2020 demonstrates to government that the direct marketing industry is fully capable of regulating itself. It gives detailed specifications and measures 10 key areas that will reduce the environmental impact of the marketing material produced (see right). The standard also has three levels so that organisations can choose how far they wish to go; the higher the level, the more challenging and likely to incur additional cost and operational changes. The specifications and measures in PAS


2020 were developed by BSI by getting consensus from industry experts, local and national government, consumer groups, and environmental experts, as to which elements of direct marketing had the biggest impact on the environment and what were realistic, achievable performance targets. Getting consensus meant that all the latest scientific evidence was reviewed and as a result some environmental “facts” were corrected. For example, the latest evidence shows that virgin paper from properly managed sources can be at least as “environmentally friendly” as recycled paper. At first sight, PAS 2020 might appear to


be yet another hoop for businesses to jump through, but there are a number of good commercial reasons why organisations should adopt the standard. First of all, the standard


is designed to prevent waste and unnecessary use of materials and energy—which should result in both short- and long-term savings. And because the government was closely involved in developing the standard, organisations that are complying with PAS 2020 will already have in place practices in line with any future legislation. Second, there is now a considerable weight


of evidence from research that the way an organisation handles its environmental responsibilities has a direct impact on the customer’s perception of the product, brand and company (See The results are in on pages 10-11). We’re not yet at a point where people won’t buy from a company with a poor environmental record but it does increasingly play a part in the purchase decision and sometimes how much a consumer is prepared to pay. The efforts that major consumer goods organisations have made to reduce excess packaging, for example, shows that they are very aware of the negative impact on the consumers’ perception of their brands of “wasteful” or “unnecessary” material. We, as an industry, also need to convince our customers that we are changing our processes and materials to eliminate waste and prevent a potential consumer backlash. There are a number of case


studies that show where initiatives similar to PAS 2020 have been undertaken by organisations in other industry sectors, the early adopters have generally enjoyed improved profits, better productivity and lower wastage, as well as becoming regarded as more socially responsible. Specifying that marketing material complies with PAS 2020 really is a win-win situation. Experience so far shows that nearly 90 percent of campaigns that have been produced to comply with Level 1 of the standard have incurred either no or minimal extra cost—and many have reported ongoing savings due to minimising waste. If you communicate what


respond


2. apply customer and prospect data suppression and maintain data quality


3. design direct mail communications for recyclability


4. effectively manage the procurement and use of paper products to improve environmental


performance 5. make efficient use of ink and finishes


6. use organisations that manage the environmental impacts of producing printed DM communication


7. use mailing houses that manage their environmental impacts


8. use organisations that manage the environmental impacts of distributing DM communications


9. use field marketers that manage their environmental impacts


10. promote the use of an unsubscribe facility.


Tactics Views


By Alex Walsh ?


you are doing to your customers and other stakeholders—and, of course, why you are doing it—you can enhance your reputation and gain a competitive advantage.


So why not specify compliance to PAS


2020 for your next campaign or marketing material? Not only will you get all the potential commercial benefits outlined above but you’ll also be contributing to the main reason behind PAS 2020—helping to protect our environment.


Alex Walsh is associate director, membership services at the Direct Marketing Association.


PAS 2020 campaign objectives Source: www.bsigroup.co.uk


1. target customers and prospects to whom the campaign is relevant and that are likely to


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