Don't shoot the messenger!

Marketers, designers, paper makers and printers have for too long been easy targets for anyone seeking a scapegoat for many of our environmental problems ranging from rubbish in the streets to global warming.

Paper is one of the most ubiquitous and versatile materials today, yet there’s a strong perception that paper is one of the environmental bad guys

The argument is often simplistic. To make paper you have to cut down trees. Trees are good, so paper products are bad, right? Well no, because while the argument may look good on paper, (pardon the pun) the reality is that paper still stacks up as one of the most sustainable resources we have, using increasingly eco friendly practices and is totally recyclable.

Because marketing, design, paper and printing go hand in hand they will always be targets for these critics who think we are overwhelmed with printed messages. Those who use paper are closer to the firing line, simply because they spread the message and the natural response is to ‘shoot the messenger’, yet these same critics don't hesitate to curl up in bed with a good book or magazine. Neither the trees nor the message are under fire then!

Sustainable Paper

But here’s the rub. The guidelines challenge marketers to ensure that they specify paper that is sourced from forests that have been sustainably managed and harvested.

Historically, paper and pulp production has been a dirty and polluting activity; however, over the past 10 years the paper industry has changed dramatically, throughout all parts of the world. So much so that today more paper makers appear on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index than any other industry sector.

But the most significant change has been in pulp derived from sustainable well managed forests, where trees are grown specifically for paper production and forest certification programs provide independent third party assurances that a forest is sustainably managed. This takes into account the management of biodiversity and the protection of the forest’s eco systems as well as harvesting at a slower rate than its ability to regenerate.

The three best known and most respected certification schemes are
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
The Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Systems (PEFC)
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).

The Challenge

The sustainable paper story is an amazing one that cannot be fully detailed here, but I’m convinced that marketers and designers who leverage their understanding of the environmental aspects of paper can add important tools to their offering. A sound knowledge of the paper story will assist your clients to understand why you have specified a sustainable paper. And it won’t cost the earth!

The challenge involves both content and the form. You can council your clients on the form of the message, while balancing the aesthetic decisions, such as the choice of paper, from economic, social and environmental perspectives.

One of the best ways to communicate this message is with an imprint. At Finsbury Green we see increasing numbers of clients wanting to publish an imprint on their publications, because in turn they want to communicate to their stakeholders they have produced an environmentally preferable product.

Whether it is information about the paper, an FSC logo or the credentials of the paper or printing process, this approach is gaining serious momentum as is the uptake of sustainable paper, driven very strongly by corporate Australia.

What’s Worth?

The Australian direct mail market is worth about $3.5 billion per year so I guess that printed marketing material is a major competitor to mainstream media for advertising revenue.

According to the American Direct Marketing Association, direct mail is the fastest growing form of advertising other than the Internet and is projected to boost sales growth in the US by 5.3% until 2012. By comparison, television advertising is projected to drive sales growth by 5%, magazines by 3% and newspapers by 1% over the same period.

Ending

Consumers in Australia have become highly sensitive to the use of paper and increasingly print buyers are being forced to cover their backsides when it comes to any environmental criticism of the product. So why would we think that marketers and designers are any different?

Because paper based communications remain a significant tool in the armoury, the consequence of this criticism is that unless our clients are confident that the source of the paper is legitimate, any industry sector supplying products based on wood fibre is not sustainable and will be viewed as such.

Whether the concern is real or just cost cutting, it is being said often and people are starting to believe it.

Breakout

The Green Paper Guide is unique handbook that has become the de facto standard for print buyers and designers and has been distributed to over 21,000 users. It is intended to help buyers understand the environmental credentials of a comprehensive range of papers available in Australia. Email if you would like a copy.

Article by Rodney Wade, Environmental and Technical Manager, Finsbury Green.

Finsbury Green, Australia's acknowledged leader in environmental printing practice, operating in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney and the first carbon neutral printer in the country.
 
Typically, printing is an industry with poor environmental credentials, but since turning legitimately ‘green’ in 2002, Finsbury Green has more than tripled in size, and accumulated more than a little recognition. Finsbury Green has won a staggering 350 international, national and regional print awards, along with seven environment awards.  Click here to subscribe to the Finsbury Greensheet