Have you ever tried to get off of a catalog mailing list? Watch the first episode of a great series on getting off mailing lists from Jonny Halleran. Jonny documents the frustration that so many Americans have as they try to do the right thing and remove themselves from catalog mailing lists.
Get a lot of unwanted mail? In 2005, more than 19 billion catalogs were mailed to American consumers – whether they wanted them or not — creating millions of tons of wasted paper and jamming millions of mailboxes full of unwanted catalogs.Many of those catalogs were not printed on environmentally-preferable papers.Catalogs represent a unique opportunity for significant, positive impacts on the environment. The U.S. direct mail advertising industry is comprised of approximately 3,750 businesses, including catalog companies. Unfortunately, the recycled content in catalog papers and recycling rates for catalogs are extremely low compared to other commonly used paper products such as newspapers. Among catalog companies surveyed in 2002, only 12% used recycled paper for their primary catalogs and 18% for their order forms. Fully two-thirds reported using no recycled paper at all. In addition, unlike other direct mail materials such as advertisements, the paper used for catalog production is both bleached and gloss coated, which can result in toxic chemicals released into the environment.Catalogers use over 3.6 million tons of paper each year, which translates to over 8 million tons of trees. By increasing recycled content and sourcing paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (the only credible standard for sustainable logging), catalogers could greatly decrease their negative environmental impact, cut air and water pollution, and decrease the amount of paper filling up landfills.In addition, it is estimated that 95-98% of catalogs go directly from the mailbox to the garbage or recycling can. Finally, discarded paper comprises the largest component of the municipal waste stream, due in part to the fact that catalogs and magazines have among the lowest recycling rates of all printed materials (possibly due to older recycling habits where glossy paper materials had to be separated from other paper products). Today, 34% of the discarded material in the municipal waste system is from paper and paperboard, and 50% of that gets recycled. That’s still a lot of paper going to waste!To learn more about the benefits of recycled paper, visit the Environmental Paper Network’s website at www.environmentalpaper.orgAnd to help catalogers reduce the amount of mail they send (and the natural resources they use), sign up at www.catalogchoice.orgPosted by:Laura HickeyNational Wildlife Federation
