Catalogs and the Environment

Each day, many Americans open the mailbox and find a thick stack of catalogs. More than 17 billion catalogs were distributed in the United States in 1998 -- about sixty-four for every man, woman, and child. Not surprisingly, catalogs use a lot of paper -- 3.35 million tons of it in 1999. The use of so much paper comes at a significant environmental cost. Paper is the fourth most energy-intensive of all manufacturing industries and one of the most polluting.

Catalog companies can do their part for the environment by being responsible paper purchasers and users: by reducing waste, using recycled paper, and working with suppliers to promote cleaner paper manufacturing and better forest management. Consumers can also do their part by reducing the number of unwanted mailings they receive, and supporting catalog companies that use environmentally preferable paper practices. Here are some specific steps consumers can take to promote greener catalogs.

Reducing Waste

Catalog companies routinely sell, rent, or trade mailing lists. Consumers can reduce waste by limiting the circulation of their names to those companies whose mailings they wish to receive. Here's how you can lighten the load in your mailbox:

• Stop unwanted mailings generally.  To remove your home address from many lists at once, register your name with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service (MPS). Send a written request, with your name as it appears on all catalog labels, to The Direct Marketing Association, Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008. The MPS should remain in effect for five years, or until you place an order or request a catalog from a catalog company. After that, your name is fair game again, and you must either reactivate the MPS, or stop mailings selectively (see below). Because companies who subscribe to the MPS typically check their lists against it a few times a year, it may take several months for you to see results. For more information, call The DMA at 212-768-7277.

• Stop unwanted mailings selectively.  The MPS is not a selective service, and may cancel your name from some lists you wish to be on. In order to continue receiving mailings from certain companies, notify them directly (usually by a toll-free call). Then, ask them to note in your record that your name is not to be rented, sold, or traded to others. At the same time, if you get catalogs you don't want, before you recycle them, call to remove yourself from their database. A toll-free call of a minute or two will help curb the proliferation of unwanted catalogs.

• Eliminate duplicate and undeliverable mailings.  If you receive multiple mailings for the same household, call and ask the company to delete the extra listing. If you move, fill out the Postal Service's National Change of Address form so that mailers don't keep sending catalogs to your old address.

• Reduce the number of mailings you receive.  Many companies will honor consumers' requests to receive catalogs less frequently. If the merchandise changes only seasonally, you may not wish to get every mailing. The catalog's customer service or order department can tell you what options are available. Some catalogs may even allow you to switch from paper catalogs to e-mail notifications and product promotions, with links to the company's website.

For more information about reducing direct marketing solicitations generally, refer to "Stop Junk Mail Forever," © 1997, Good Advice Press. Box 78, Elizaville, NY 12523. (914) 758-1400. www.goodadvicepress.com.

Recycled Content And Recycling

Using recycled content in catalog paper saves natural resources and reduces pollution and waste. Recycling catalogs means less paper is sent to landfills, and more recovered fiber is available to make recycled paper products. Here's how you can help:

• Encourage the use of recycled paper. Using recycled paper demonstrates a catalog company's environmental commitment. Next time you place an order, ask if the catalog is made using recycled paper, and make clear that this is important to you as a customer. Other things (e.g., price, quality, selection, service) being equal, support companies that use recycled paper.

• Help keep catalogs recyclable.  Check the catalogs you order from regularly. Do they contain stick-on labels or non-paper inserts that can contaminate the recycling process? Next time you place an order let the company know that you would like them to avoid using such items.

• Recycle catalogs.  Your municipality can tell you if catalogs can be collected in your curbside recycling bin, must be dropped off at a recycling center, or are recyclable through some other means.

Cleaner Manufacturing, Protecting Forests

Because catalog companies purchase so much paper, their choice of paper supplier can have significant environmental implications. Some suppliers employ better forest management practices and cleaner manufacturing technologies than others do. Let the catalog companies you deal with know that you are concerned about the environmental impacts of their paper use, including how the paper is produced and how the trees harvested to make it are managed. Tell them you expect them to address these issues in their role as large paper purchasers.

In many different industries, consumer action -- at least as much as government regulation -- has been critical in motivating businesses to improve their environmental performance. Not only do your individual actions benefit the environment, but they also send an important signal to catalog companies about what matters to you as a custome -- thus contributing to a larger solution.

The Alliance for Environmental Innovation is a joint initiative of Environmental Defense and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Alliance works cooperatively with businesses to reduce waste and build environmental considerations into business decisions. By bringing the expertise and perspective of environmental scientists and economists together with the business skills of major corporations, the Alliance creates solutions that make environmental and business sense. For more information, visit the Alliance's website.