Environmental mindfulness in the print and mail industry can be a professional priority and a growth opportunity. Forward-thinking operations may reimagine many aspects of their businesses, resulting in mail campaigns with shallower environmental footprints and operations that lower waste and consumption. Besides doing the right thing for the environment, print/mail service providers that make conscious efforts in the name of sustainability will be viewed favorably by their green-leaning customers.

Intelligent Data: Precision Yields Less Waste

Data accuracy fuels a sound foundation for a green mailing operation. Scrubbing mailing lists by eliminating duplicates, dropping deceased individuals, purging undeliverable addresses, and reducing unlikely respondents makes a difference. Enhanced data hygiene will contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions connected to direct mail.

Smaller, more targeted mailings mean less time running the print/mail production equipment, resulting in lower electricity consumption for heating, cooling, and lighting. Regular address updates, NCOA processing, and integrating customer behavioral triggers ensure each mailpiece has a reasonable chance of producing the mailer’s desired result.

Personalized, event-driven mail such as cart abandonment reminders, thank-you notes, or milestone messages outperforms traditional batch mailings. Conversion rates spike while emissions fall, since marketers can mail fewer pieces to reach more receptive individuals.

The environmental benefits of smarter mailing with intelligent data extend beyond the print and mail production facilities. With more targeted mailings, the USPS will handle and transport fewer trays of marginally effective mail throughout the USPS sorting and delivery network.

Source Materials

Paper selection invites scrutiny beyond insisting on recycled content or FSC certification. Shrewd professionals might inquire directly about mill emissions. Hydroelectric power versus coal-generated electricity contributes to the environmental impact of the paper-making process. Recycled stocks remain essential, but regional sourcing (when possible), renewable energy usage, and forest management practices can figure in each project’s true environmental footprint. Soy or vegetable-based inks, and waterless printing processes further decrease emissions. Print and mail service providers can be proud of their sustainability efforts, plus they will have impactful stories to share with their eco-minded clients.

Eco-Conscious Design

Print/mail service providers don’t always have a say in the design of the materials their clients want to send. But they can always suggest ideas to make the mailings more environmentally friendly. Format size, ink coverage, spot varnish vs. flood coating, and shrinking/eliminating plastic windows all reduce the environmental impact of every mailpiece. Mail service providers might also suggest text to highlight recycling instructions, testing lighter paper, or adjusting piece dimensions to lessen the volume of wasted paper after trimming.

Mailers of transactional documents may look for ways to lower document page counts by adjusting margins and fonts. Clients may be interested in shortening documents that feature long terms and conditions. They may be able to move some of that material online or only print the text relevant to each recipient, such as state-specific disclaimers.

For regulated documents, it pays to review the governing rules periodically. It may be possible to reformat or even eliminate some pages while still complying with the regulations.

Technology-Driven Efficiency

Investments in high-efficiency presses, intelligent inserters, and error-trapping software decrease energy usage and minimize material waste. Automation unlocks new batching possibilities, especially in white paper workflow environments, that enable more efficient production strategies. Preventive maintenance keeps systems running cleanly, avoiding reruns that waste resources.

Householding is another strategy that turns two mailpieces into one by combining multiple documents destined to the same address into a single envelope.

Digital Alternatives

Many mailing companies have expanded into digital document delivery, but most of their revenue is still reliant on producing paper mail. Suggesting a client divert some of their mailing budget to electronic messaging is inconsistent with their traditional business model. However, the clients are very much thinking about digital delivery. Shifting segments of a campaign away from postal mail and towards electronic delivery may mean the difference between retaining a portion of the postal mail revenue and losing all the business from a client.

QR codes and personal URLs embedded in printed mail do double duty. They track engagement with precision and can channel print recipients into digital environments, where future interactions might further minimize paper use.

A Slightly Different Approach

For decades, mailing companies and their customers have made progress towards producing a more environmentally friendly product and doing so responsibly. They have initiated recycling programs, used recycled paper, and changed the lightbulbs in the shop.

Mailing operations that want to take their efforts a step further can chart a new path by emitting fewer greenhouse gases, trimming costs, and presenting clients with ideas centered in environmental sustainability and innovation. Go beyond the minimum and find ways to make a genuine difference for your company and your clients.

Mike Porter at Print/Mail Consultants creates content that helps attract and retain customers for companies in the document industry and assists companies as they integrate new technology. Learn more about his services at www.pmccontentservices.com. Follow @PMCmike on X, or send him a connection request on LinkedIn.