GRAHAM COOPER says, when
it comes to environmental best
practices, doing nothing is not
an option.
Changeor
bechanged
Back in July 2003 the UK Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
signed a landmark agreement with the Department for the
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to develop a Direct
Mail and Promotions Producer Responsibility Scheme.
Thethinkingbehindthisagreementwastohelpinfluence
long-termeconomicandenvironmentalsustainabilityforthe
directmailindustry.Theagreementcommittedthedirect
marketingindustrytoaseriesoftargetsovera10-yearperiodand
toachangeinbehaviour.
Therearethreeclearobjectivesstatedwithintheagreement:
1.Increasecollectionandrecyclingofdirectmarketingmaterials.
2.PubliciseMPS,opt-outandselectivefacilities.
3.Improvethetargetingofdirectmarketing.
Thetargetsweresetasfollows:
1. By2005–30percentrecycled.
2.By2009 –55percentrecycled.
3. By2013 –70percentrecycled.
Atthetimeofsigningtheagreement(2001/2),research
showedthatapproximately13percentofdirectmailmaterialwas
goingtorecycling.Accordingtofurtherresearchcarriedoutby
CACI,thishadrisentonearly30percentbytheendof2005,
albeitjustmissingthefirsttarget.
January212009sawamilestoneinthedevelopmentofdirect
marketingbestenvironmentalpractice,asPAS2020wasofficially
launched.Thissetofenvironmentalobjectives,performance
levelsandindicatorsfordifferentenvironmentalaspectsofaDM
campaignembodiestwokeyprinciples:
1.Therecognitionoftheimpactofdirectmarketingandthe
criticismoftheperceivednegativeenvironmentalimpactof
theindustry.
2.Thatthedirectmarketingsectorisnowtakingmoreevident
responsibility,aimingforgreaterenvironmentalefficiencies,
withoutdamagingcampaignresultsandprofitability.
Therecyclingchallenge
Asyoucansee,wearecontinuallychallengedwithprotecting
ourindustryagainstoppositionfromgovernment,othermedia,
theenvironmentallobbyandconsumers.Aspartofadriveto
leadininfluencingenvironmentally-friendlydirectmail,ONEPOST
hasrecentlyputconsumerattitudestorecyclingmessagesand
logostothetest.
Notincludingarecyclingmessagehasabigeffecton
consumerperceptions.
Doingnothingisnotanoption.
ToreceiveacopyoftheWhitePaperdetailingthefindingsof
thisindependentlycommissionedresearch,email:
marketing@onepost.co.uk
Findouthowyoucanmakearealdifference.
Graham Cooper is MD of ONEPOST.
www.dmi-news.com May 2009 13
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