The Green Prospects

Responsible mail for responsible customers

While the greening of a mail package may or may not sway the consumer today, it may in the future. It shows the company’s overt or subtle commitment to the environment, and may nudge that consumer toward the buy, the donation, etc.

The recent DMA Commitment to Consumer Choice (CCC) program — which requires DMA members notify consumers of the opportunity to modify or eliminate future mail solicitations from their companies — may have a similar benign effect. “It reflects DMA’s continued emphasis on empowering consumers and strengthening their trust with the direct marketing community by providing consumers with the power to make choices about what they do and don’t receive,” says Kachura, who adds that passing a CCC test allows a DMA member to use the DMA Trusted Marketer Seal. Such seals may begin to appear more frequently on mail pieces, alongside FSC and Recycle Please logos. “If you’re going after the [green] market, they want to see minimal use of resources. So you want to do things that make your package look green, such as printing on 100 percent recycled paper and not [using] a poly window,” suggests Goldsmith, who also says to use paper that displays various pro-environment logos.