How to make your mail environmentally friendly

When it comes to saving the planet, small changes can make a big impact. And, in both our personal and working lives, it’s important that we all play a conscious role in making environmentally friendly decisions that will ultimately help to save our planet.

After all, there is an increasing amount of evidence that has proven that neglecting our planet is having a catastrophic impact on civilisation, air, water, animal habitats, and our food chain.

One of the best ways to combat these issues is to recognize the many benefits that come hand in hand with recycling, especially in the workplace. This is because all businesses should actively monitor their environmental performance by assessing and controlling their recycling processes and waste reduction procedures.

We’ve taken a look at how to make your mail environmentally friendly!

First and foremost, there’s a common misconception that direct mail campaigns are not environmentally friendly however, this is not true!

Why? Paper is one of the most recycled products in the world, meaning it can be reused for other purposes once it has done its job!

However, there are lots of ways that you can make your mailing campaign more environmentally friendly including:

Only Work with sustainable paper sources

When implementing any direct or bulk mail campaign, you should only ever work with sustainable paper sources!

When looking for sources you should consider whether the paper has been sustainably stocked and you will know this by asking your supplier if their stock has been planted and harvested for paper.

Clear calls to action

All sales copy should always incorporate a clear call to action! For example, within your copy you should aim to tell them exactly what you want them to do – whether that’s visit your website, give you a call, pop into your store, take advantage of an offer or incentive or even enter a competition you are running!

Avoid plastic envelopes

Any form of plastic should be avoided at all costs when it comes to saving our environment. This is because plastic has become one of the most common forms of marine debris, causing devastation to our planet’s oceans.

With this in mind, when it comes to initiating your direct mail campaign, you should consider not using any plastic packaging in order to minimise the risks to our environment.

And there are lots of alternatives you can use to plastic if packaging in a necessity including compostable and biodegradable polywrap! This can be disposed of by putting it into a green bin or compost bin at the end of its life.

Know your target market

Segmenting your audience by reaching out to only your target market can not only allow you to optimise the success of your mail campaign but can also help to keep numbers down when it comes to the number of direct mail pieces you are sending out!

After all, waste can have a huge impact on our environment, especially if you are reaching out to a demographic that you know already has no interest in your product or service.

With this in mind, it certainly pays to clean out your data when creating data mailing lists that are a strong match for new potential customers.

And remember, you should always personalise your direct mail pieces for maximum impact.

It’s the small changes that add up to big differences in our environment. Play your part today!