WELCOME

We would like to break the myths surrounding paper, print and the

environment. Do any of these sound familiar…..

GET READY FOR THE TRUTH ABOUT PRINTING AND PAPER!

If you care about the environment, don’t print out this email. How many trees did you kill to make that brochure! Corporate developers are destroying our wildlife & natural resources. Print collateral is dying.

The facts

DID YOU KNOW…..

When a tree is harvested for making paper, on average, five more are planted in its place.South Carolina Forestry Commission

DID YOU KNOW…..

Thanks to managed timberlands specifically grown to make paper, there are more forests in the U.S. now than there were 50 years ago.Bugwood Network

DID YOU KNOW…..

Old, overcrowded forests use more oxygen than they produce. Young, well managed forests efficiently absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.South Carolina Forestry Commission

DID YOU KNOW…..

Approximately 4 million new trees are planted every day by America’s forestry and paper industries.American Forest & Paper Association

DID YOU KNOW…..

Paper produced in the U.S. is harvested from responsibly managed forests. Companies that purchase print or paper from Asia or the Pacific Rim are most in danger of supporting irresponsible forestry practices or the destruction of rainforests.

FACT IS…..

America’s forests and woodlands are as abundant and healthy as they have ever been.

Societal norms and the perceived eco-friendliness of electronic media make this difficult for us to understand and believe.

Theperspective

CAN YOU BELIEVE…..

People once thought the world was flat and you could sail off the edge……AND

Before the 1950’s, ads in magazines featured actual doctors endorsing cigarettes as an effective way to aid in digestion after a meal.

How could people believe in these things…..

It seemed to make sense and experts who were respected told us so. This was passed on and compounded from one generation to the next.

Not until someone could prove differently would these ideas become obsolete and without merit.

So, what does this mean about paper and printing…..

We must be open to THE TRUTH ABOUT PRINTING AND PAPER. Some things may seem counter-intuitive to what we have learned over the years, but facts don’t lie.

And we promise - you won’t sail off the edge of the earth.

PERSPECTIVE #1

Trees are planted on farms and harvested as crops, like cotton, corn and wheat.

We don’t worry about running out of these resources because we continually plant and harvest what we need.

PERSPECTIVE #2

Companies that use trees as a resource MUST continually grow these resources to sustain their business

Would Green Giant, General Mills or Jockey clear-cut corn, wheat or cotton without replanting until they went out of business?

PERSPECTIVE #3

Trees are harvested for more than just making paper – we don’t give much thought to those things.

49% for lumber in construction, furniture, etc. 28% for pulp and all paper products. 23% for fuel and making cleaning products. TAPPI Paper University

PERSPECTIVE #4

No paper company or printer supports the wasting of ANY natural resources – including trees.

Simply put, we shouldn’t be afraid to use paper products responsibly when appropriate….just like all of the other commercial paper products we use every day.

PERSPECTIVE #5

More than half of U.S. forestland is privately owned – carrying property tax and other maintenance costs.

Many private landowners are forced to sell, giving way to the birth of another strip mall with an expansive asphalt parking lot.

The responsibility

Sustainable and recyclable

Paper is more than a renewable resource that is plentiful in the U.S. – it is highly recyclable.

And what about the paper that doesn’t get recycled…..it biodegrades and becomes earth, from which new trees can grow.

Paper gets repurposed

45.2 million tons of paper and paperboard were recovered from recycling in 2007. That’s 57% of all paper and paperboard waste. Papercycles.org

40.3% of standard mail was recovered in 2007 - up from 23.9% in 2003 US EPA Facts & Figures

Paper can biodegrade in a matter of weeks. BusinessEthics.com

The misconception

Electronic media is eco-friendly

While electronic media and the internet are amazing communication and marketing tools, they have REAL environmental costs.

Electricity to power them and disposal of them after use.

Don’t forget #1

Coal mined for electricity to run servers often times requires mountain tops to be clear cut of soil and trees…forever. An enormous amount of energy is also burned getting the coal to power plants.

We can’t “grow” more coalPrint Grows Trees

Don’t forget #2

Power to run servers is needed at a staggering rate

U.S. servers alone use enough electricity to power every TV in the U.S.,and this is increasing rapidly.EPA: Power usage in data centers could double by 2011

Don’t forget #3

Computers and cell phones have VERY high post consumer environmental costs.

1.They are filled with Arsenic, Lead, & Mercury that leach into ground waters. 2.Electronics do not biodegrade in landfills. 3.Technology advances make electronics obsolete quickly and e waste is increasing at alarming rates.

Grinning Planet / Wirefly

Should we stop utilizing electronic media

Absolutely not – it is invaluable as a communications and marketing tool.

The key is, don’t dismiss print as a poor environmental choice, when electronic choices have potentially worse environmental costs.

The classic question

Paper or plastic

Paper bags can biodegrade in a matter of weeks, and go into compost or yard waste piles or the recycling bin. Paper is also a renewable resource.

EPA research: plastic bags may take 10-100 years to partially biodegrade, and may never fully break down.BusinessEthics.com

Paper or plastic

While paper bags are biodegrading, returning to the earth and becoming soil for some other living organism, plastic bags are consuming land fills and scattered about the countryside and hanging from trees and bushes. Paper is the responsible choice!

The payoff

Print is a powerful communications medium

The statistics don’t lie. Print is a promotional tool that gets results AND is eco-conscious.

If print isn’t a part of your promotional mix simply because of the environmental myths, you need to reconsider your strategy.

Print is a powerful communications medium

Print has a feel, both emotional and tactile, creating an experience, not just relaying information.

Emotion plays a huge role in why people make purchase decisions. Print is convincing and has an emotional appeal no other medium has.

Print drives business online

Consumers receiving a printed catalog are twice as likely to buy online than those consumers who do not receive a catalog. “Household Diary Study” – USPS

67% of online action is driven by offline messages ”iProspect Offline Channel Influence on Search Behavior

Study” – Print in the Mix

86% say shopping is easier when they have a printed catalog “Media Choices Today: What’s Getting Through.” - USPS

Print makes connections

80% read or skim direct mail. ”Household Diary Study” – USPS

82% like getting catalogs in the mail from the stores they patronize. “Relationship Marketing Strategy” – Patricia Sorce

70% have renewed a relationship with a company as a result of direct mail. DM News/Pitney Bowes Survey – printinthemix.rit.edu /

Statistics courtesy of Appleton Coated Paper Research

The economy

Jobs and lives depend on printing & paper

In Wisconsin alone, there are 762 printers that employ 36,802 people.

Nationwide, there are 33,565 printers that employ 909,179 people.Printing Industries of America: Print Markets Atlas

Printing is good for the environment, AND for American families.

The takeaway

Print is a very responsible promotional and communications medium, despite the myths that have popped up and been perpetuated

throughout the years. Print is:

Sustainable, recyclable & biodegradable. A sales and marketing powerhouse with amazing ROI. Keeping our forests from business development. A major component of our economy.

Rethinking a common statement

You’ve seen the statement, “think before you print” on email signature lines…..

Maybe that statement should read, “think before you decide NOT to print”

Don’t forget to…