Direct mail and the environment

The environmental impact of direct mail isn't as straightforward as you'd think, as the findings in this MMC report show. It examines some of the most common assumptions – such as that paperless bills are better for the environment than paper ones and that direct mail generates a larger carbon footprint than digital channels – to deliver some interesting conclusions. 

Drawing on figures from Billetts, Comscore, the Confederation of Paper Industries and the National Energy Foundation, the results make surprising reading.

Did you know?

• Online billing creates a larger carbon footprint than mail-based bills using recycled paper.
• Direct mail isn't a waste of trees. Paper is a farmed, sustainable crop – the pulp used in paper is made from what is left over when a tree is felled for commercial purposes, such as construction. 
• Direct mail accounts for less than 1% of UK landfill whereas the newspaper industry generates almost 10 times as much – 9.1%.