2008 Articles

It is easy being green!

September 2008

By Debbie Merlino,
VP Fundraising DMW Worldwide

You may be surprised to learn that going green isn’t as hard as you think. New printing and manufacturing technologies allow for a more environmentally-friendly product, and the whole process of selectively mailing just the most targeted prospects cuts down on waste.

Green direct mail doesn’t mean boring designs on “dirty” looking paper. Vegetable oil based inks create rich vivid colors that seem to pop off the page. These inks are safe, sustainable and are a renewable resource. Vegetable inks are also easier to strip from paper during the de-inking and recycling process. In addition, choosing envelopes with biodegradable window films look great and is another way to help the environment.

Furthermore, paper companies and saw mills make significant investments in reforestation — planting multiple trees for every one cut down. The result, according to the American Forest & Paper Association: the U.S. has 20% more trees today than it had on the first Earth Day celebration more than 25 years ago.

Mailing selectively is another way to help the environment. The DMW SMARTER^™ Planning Process helps you mail less… and still make more money. Using proprietary tools, our expert List Services department will identify acquisition lists that are likely to bring you the highest return. Then, before mailing, we’ll run your file against the National Change of Address Service and the DMA’s Mail Preference Service to ensure that every piece of mail is directed to the right address and only sent to those individuals who want to hear from you. With thoughtful segmentation and employing industry best-practices, some 930 million pieces of unwanted mail were eliminated last year by the 1,500 marketers using the DMA’s Mail Preference Service.

You can go green. Let us show you how.