Royal Mail launches carbon neutral mailing programme

Royal Mail today launched a scheme to incentivise businesses to make their Door to Door mailings carbon neutral and encourage consumers to recycle the items they receive.

Royal Mail’s Carbon Neutral Door to Door scheme makes it easier for companies to reduce the carbon footprint of their mailing by giving them advice on the types of paper, inks and varnishes to use as well ensuring effective targeting of the campaign.

After carbon impact has been minimized in line with scheme standards, Royal Mail calculates the remaining CO2 emissions generated by the mail campaign and pays to offset through schemes such as the Woodland Trust’s Carbon Plus+, which plants native trees in the UK.

Mailings made under the scheme will carry a Royal Mail carbon neutral logo to demonstrate to customers that the sending business is taking its commitment to the environment seriously. They will also be asked to include WRAP’s (Waste and Resources Action Programme) Recycle Now logo to encourage the recipient to dispose of the mail piece in the most environmentally friendly way.

Royal Mail’s Carbon Neutral Door to Door scheme lays down a range of standards companies must adhere to before they can register with the scheme. These include:
• The use of paper with a minimum of 50 per cent recycled content, and that any virgin paper used is sourced from a forest certification scheme
• Ensuring packaging is made from recycled, recyclable or reusable materials and is reduced where possible
• The use of production partners with recognized environment management accreditations
• The use of vegetable based or recycled inks and aqueous (non-oil based) varnishes
• The exclusion of polywrap and window envelopes because consumers cannot easily recycle them

Royal Mail today launched the scheme to businesses that use unaddressed direct mail as part of their marketing activities and expects the first mailings bearing the carbon neutral logo (below) to begin in September. Companies in the financial, retail and charity sectors are among the biggest users of Door to Door services as well as government organizations and public bodies such as health trusts and schools.

Companies are also being encouraged to apply the standards to addressed mailings and Royal Mail is developing a Responsible Mail Consultancy for those customers wishing advice on reducing the carbon footprint of those direct mail campaigns.