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Home > Small & Medium Business > Environment > Sustainable Mail™ >
 
Sustainable Mail

FAQs

Make your direct marketing activities more environmentally-friendly with Sustainable Mail™, our new standard in responsible mailing.


 
  1. How does Sustainable Mail™ benefit the environment?
    Effective targeting and data management will ensure that you only send mailings to your target audience. All paper and materials used will be recyclable and your mailing will carry the ‘Recycle Now’ logo which will encourage customers to recycle.
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  2. What is PAS 2020?
    Developed by us, together with ISBA, Acxiom, the DMA and BSI British Standards, PAS 2020 is a new environmental standard for direct marketing.
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  3. What is ISO 14001?
    ISO 14001 is an internationally recognised standard for environmental management. It enables a company to gauge its impact on the environment and create a plan to reduce that impact.
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  4. Why have some items been included in the specification and others missed off?
    The specification is aligned to PAS 2020, which is endorsed by the Direct Mail industry.
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  5. How often will the specification change?
    We plan to revise the specification in line with PAS 2020 at least every two years.
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  6. Why are brown envelopes not included within the specification?
    According to the Local Authority Advisory Committee, materials used in the production of brown paper can’t be recycled as effectively as those used for other types of paper.
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  7. Why does the specification allow virgin fibre paper? Isn’t it less environmentally friendly than recycled paper?
    Virgin fibre paper can be an environmentally-friendly option, if derived from a sustainably managed source, because it contributes to a reduction in carbon in the atmosphere and can be readily replenished. There are also limits to the amount of recycled paper available.
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  8. How do I find out more about Forest Certification Schemes?
    The Central Point of Expertise on Timber Procurement's (CPET) website provides detailed information and practical advice to help you meet the UK Government’s timber procurement policy requirements.   
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  9. What is PEFC?
    Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) is an international, non-profit organisation. Unlike the FSC, it does not set specific standards but is an umbrella brand that incorporates different national forest certification schemes. For example, it endorses the national scheme in Finland. Part of PEFC’s aim is to make forest certification easier and more applicable to different types of forests.
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  10. What additional price advantage does Sustainable Mail provide compared to standard Mailsort?
    The reduction available for Sustainable Mail with Mailsort 120 or 700 is 2% for the Entry level or 4.7% for the Intermediate level. This percentage reduction is applied to the Mailsort price after all the normal Mailsort and Volume Related Discounts have been applied. For Mailsort 1400, for the Entry level the reductions range from 2% to 1.05% depending on item format and whether Direct or Residue selection; for Intermediate level they range from 4.7% to 2.55%. Full details can be seen in the Royal Mail 2009 tariff guide.
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