Five Easy Pieces:Five Easy Pieces:

Five Guidelines for Five Guidelines for Eco-Friendly and Eco-Friendly and

Cost-Effective Mail Cost-Effective Mail Management Management

PracticesPractices

GREEN PAPERGREEN PAPER

IntroductionIntroductionMany of the worlds’ enterprises, large and Many of the worlds’ enterprises, large and small, are committed to small, are committed to environmental environmental sustainabilitysustainability by launching innovative by launching innovative programs. programs.

A significant number of these initiatives A significant number of these initiatives are not only reducing energy consumption are not only reducing energy consumption and waste, but also and waste, but also saving moneysaving money – a – a critical element of any corporate strategy critical element of any corporate strategy in today’s challenging economy. in today’s challenging economy.

To help promote these goals in the To help promote these goals in the document management arena, Océ document management arena, Océ Business Services periodically shares our Business Services periodically shares our insights on insights on implementing sustainable and implementing sustainable and cost-effective practicescost-effective practices across the across the document lifecycle, which spans document document lifecycle, which spans document creation through disposal. creation through disposal.

Five Easy Pieces Five Easy Pieces There are several There are several mail management mail management practicespractices that can help companies reach that can help companies reach both their environmental and cost-both their environmental and cost-reduction goals. reduction goals.

From the sustainability perspective, these From the sustainability perspective, these practices can practices can significantly reduce the use significantly reduce the use of paperof paper, thereby saving trees, gas in , thereby saving trees, gas in shipping the paper and physical space to shipping the paper and physical space to store it. store it.

From the financial perspective, From the financial perspective, respondents participating in an Océ respondents participating in an Océ Business Services survey have indicated Business Services survey have indicated that that mail and shipping practices have a mail and shipping practices have a high impact on reducing costs, driving high impact on reducing costs, driving faster time to market and improving faster time to market and improving operational efficiencyoperational efficiency. .

Following are Following are five mail management five mail management practices practices that can help organizations that can help organizations improve the environmentimprove the environment as well as drive as well as drive the the cost-effectivenesscost-effectiveness and and efficiencyefficiency of of their operations.their operations.

House List HygieneHouse List HygieneCompanies can Companies can lose a substantial amount of lose a substantial amount of moneymoney by not updating their mailing lists. by not updating their mailing lists.

It’s estimated that two percent of all mail is It’s estimated that two percent of all mail is returned and the total cost of returned and the total cost of re-mail is $3.50 to re-mail is $3.50 to $4.50 per mail piece$4.50 per mail piece. .

The need to update is a constant challenge The need to update is a constant challenge because about because about 15 to 20 percent of consumers 15 to 20 percent of consumers and businesses move every yearand businesses move every year. .

The solution: The solution: save moneysave money and and paperpaper by by regularly updating mailing listsregularly updating mailing lists to limit to limit duplication and waste. duplication and waste.

Make sure that Make sure that addresses are correct before addresses are correct before the mail goes out,the mail goes out, and when a mail piece is and when a mail piece is returned undelivered, returned undelivered, update the database as update the database as soon as possiblesoon as possible before the next mailing cycle. before the next mailing cycle.

Consistently updating databasesConsistently updating databases can have a can have a significant, positive impact on sustainability significant, positive impact on sustainability and cost-reduction initiatives.and cost-reduction initiatives.

Document Design Document Design Dividends Dividends

Paying attention to Paying attention to document designdocument design can can reap solid dividends. reap solid dividends.

For example, printing on both sides of For example, printing on both sides of the paper the paper (duplex printing)(duplex printing) can can substantially cut paper use and reduce substantially cut paper use and reduce mailing costs. mailing costs.

Simply Simply decreasing the margin and font decreasing the margin and font sizesize can reduce the number of pages in a can reduce the number of pages in a document. document.

Additionally, Additionally, variable data and document variable data and document composition toolscomposition tools enable companies to enable companies to combine two documents / mailings into combine two documents / mailings into one. one.

One example of this approach is One example of this approach is TransPromoTransPromo, in which a document is , in which a document is created that created that combines a piece of combines a piece of transactional printing, such as a bill transactional printing, such as a bill statement,statement, with promotional or marketing with promotional or marketing content - all in one document.content - all in one document.

Defaulting to Defaulting to Duplex Duplex

While mentioned earlier as an element of While mentioned earlier as an element of document design, document design, duplex printingduplex printing is a major is a major cost-effective and sustainable practice worthy of cost-effective and sustainable practice worthy of additional mention. additional mention.

Most Most multi-page documents don’t require the multi-page documents don’t require the text to be printed on one side of the pagetext to be printed on one side of the page. . Newspapers, magazines and books use both Newspapers, magazines and books use both sides. sides.

Companies Companies can decrease paper use by up to 50 can decrease paper use by up to 50 percentpercent by making duplex printing the norm, a by making duplex printing the norm, a move that can also help the environment. move that can also help the environment.

Océ implemented a green campaign as a joint Océ implemented a green campaign as a joint effort to help a financial services company effort to help a financial services company client to reduce paper usage. client to reduce paper usage. Through Through initiatives such as moving print production to initiatives such as moving print production to copiers that can print on both sides of a page, copiers that can print on both sides of a page, the company acknowledged that Océ helped it the company acknowledged that Océ helped it significantly reduce paper consumption and significantly reduce paper consumption and realized thousands of dollars in cost savings.realized thousands of dollars in cost savings.

Certified Paper Certified Paper Trails Trails

The United States Postal Service (USPS) The United States Postal Service (USPS) recommends that when recommends that when sourcing papersourcing paper, , make sure it comes from forests managed make sure it comes from forests managed with practices certified by independent, with practices certified by independent, third-party organizations such as the SFI. third-party organizations such as the SFI. SFI forest certification promotes SFI forest certification promotes responsible forestry practices. responsible forestry practices.

To be certified, forest operations across To be certified, forest operations across the United States and Canada must be the United States and Canada must be audited against the SFI forest standard. audited against the SFI forest standard.

While this sourcing practice focuses While this sourcing practice focuses mainly on sustainability, it does have mainly on sustainability, it does have business benefits. business benefits.

By choosing SFI-certified products, a By choosing SFI-certified products, a company can use its buying power to company can use its buying power to improve forest managementimprove forest management while sending while sending a clear signal to customers it cares about a clear signal to customers it cares about forests. forests.

Greening Direct Greening Direct Mail Mail

In a sustainability campaign, the USPS asked In a sustainability campaign, the USPS asked “How ‘green’ in your direct mail?”“How ‘green’ in your direct mail?” Organizations have many opportunities to Organizations have many opportunities to lessen the environmental impact of direct mail, lessen the environmental impact of direct mail, which which accounts for 2.3 percent of landfill waste.accounts for 2.3 percent of landfill waste.

One way to spare the environment is the One way to spare the environment is the inks.inks. Companies can look for Companies can look for agri-based inksagri-based inks and use and use them whenever possible as well as opt for them whenever possible as well as opt for less less ink usage/coverageink usage/coverage (fewer colors mean fewer (fewer colors mean fewer chemicals). chemicals).

Working with the Working with the right business partnersright business partners also also can help. Companies can seek out partners can help. Companies can seek out partners located nearby in order to minimize located nearby in order to minimize transportation, reducing cost and using less transportation, reducing cost and using less fuel. fuel.

Two other initiatives include finding vendors Two other initiatives include finding vendors that use that use renewable energy sourcesrenewable energy sources and using and using print-on-demand technologyprint-on-demand technology instead of printing instead of printing large quantities and warehousing them until large quantities and warehousing them until they’re needed. they’re needed.

Any organization can Any organization can implement these strategiesimplement these strategies – – internallyinternally or with an or with an outsourcingoutsourcing partner – to partner – to benefit the benefit the bottom linebottom line as as well as the well as the environmentenvironment. As . As many companies are many companies are demonstrating every day, demonstrating every day, green business can also be green business can also be good business.good business.

James P. Mullan, CMDSM, EMCM, MDCOBS National Operations Manager

Chubb & Son15 Mountain View Road

Warren, NJ 07095908-903-2869 W908-903-2027 F201-779-9355 C

JMullan@Chubb.com