MPs demand action on environment from DM sector
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The direct mail industry needs to do more to reduce the impact of unwanted “junk” mail on the environment, according to MPs.
Research on behalf of the All Party Group on Junk Mail, found that almost three quarters (73%) of MPs do not believe the industry takes appropriate measures to mitigate the environmental impact of DM.
Almost all (97%) of the MPs polled said they receive unsolicited junk mail and have concerns about the steps taken by the industry to improve data handling and reduce the environmental impact of direct mail.
Paddy Tipping MP, chair of the group, says the findings show the industry needs to do more to improve practices.
“It is also vital that more is done to educate the public on how to manage the amount of direct mail they receive,” he says.
He adds the sector needs to improve targeting and data management.
The research, carried out by ComRes, also indicates that MPs underestimate the financial contribution of the DM sector.
It found that the majority (71%) of MPs believe direct mail contributes under £25bn to the economy, well short of its actual contribution of £43.7bn.
Robert Keitch, chief of membership and brand at the Direct Marketing Association, says the “common misconceptions” about mail need to be addressed.
“The direct marketing industry has made significant progress to improve targeting and reduce waste through initiatives such as PAS2020, the first ever environmental standard for the marketing industry, and the Mailing Preference Service which continues to play a vital role in offering consumer choice.”
ComRes surveyed 150 MPs on the ComRes parliamentary panel between 19 October and 16 November 2009 by self-completion postal questionnaire. Data was weighted to reflect the exact composition of the House of Commons in terms of party representation and regional constituency distribution.
Readers' comments (3)
Ol Janus, MD, EHS Brann Discovery | Mon, 25 Jan 2010 1:53 pm
The introduction of PAS 2020 has seen the direct marketing industry start to take action in assessing and minimising the impact of their business activities on the environment. While PAS 2020 is an excellent first step on the path to improved environmental performance, its limitation to campaign-level direct marketing, for us, doesn’t go far enough.
EHS Brann Group’s Cirencester site, location for EHS Brann Direct Marketing agency and EHS Brann Discovery has demonstrated a conscious effort to protect the environment by applying for and being awarded ISO 14001, the internationally recognised standard in environmental management.
The ISO 14001 confirms the environmental aspect of how we manage our organisation, and means we now have in place a much more comprehensive approach to managing our business in as green a way as possible. The process required a tangible cultural change and re-education within our organisation, a team of five people dedicated to making it happen, financial investment and a huge amount of work. But this has been an investment worth making as it not only enables us to overtake the rest of the industry in terms of actually proving our environmental commitment, but it enables us to surpass our client’s growing demands in this area.
I would urge the rest of the industry not to settle for the ‘entry level’ environmental performance which PAS 2020 delivers, but to embrace the necessary cultural, organisational and economic changes needed to make a difference
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Michael Stewart | Mon, 25 Jan 2010 2:11 pm
I'm looking forward to my highly targeted and personalised comms from my local MP and the national parties in the run up to the election.
I certainly haven't opted in to receiving anything.
M
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Ruth Weatherill | Fri, 29 Jan 2010 1:38 pm
Made me laugh - just had DM from Conservatives and I'm on no mail preference lists! And how much 'junk' do we get from them at election time?
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