DMA plots 'green' standard

by Melanie May, Direct Response 05-Oct-07

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is to launch an environmental standard that will cover the entire industry and help marketers reduce the negative impact of their activity.

Launched in partnership with BSI British Standards and an alliance of member companies - comprising Royal Mail, Acxiom, representative body for UK advertisers the ISBA, and the Telephone Preference Service - the standard will cover all areas of direct marketing, including email marketing, direct mail and field marketing.

The creation of the standard forms a major part of the DMA's environmental strategy, announced at the end of last year. It will be facilitated independently by the BSI and is expected to take up to 12 months to develop.

During that time, BSI will carry out research and consult with key government and industry stakeholders, such as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the Environment Agency, as well as relevant trade associations and consumer groups.

The consultation process is designed to provide insight into how the environment relates to each business sector.

The standard will enable companies to prove their environmental credentials.

"For the first time, businesses will be able to cut through the 'greenwash'," said Robert Keitch, director of media channel development at the DMA. "We believe a standard will act as a credible means of differentiation in a competitive market."

He added: "We are seeing the signs from policy-makers, the media and consumers that we need to change. This standard is our direct response to that.

"If you have a real commitment to sustainability, you can do all sorts of things, but how do you tell people about it? With this standard, businesses will be able to say that they have been audited independently."

There is currently no benchmark for the direct marketing industry in this area, yet many companies have indicated that they are keen to improve their environmental record.

Research by WRAP released last month revealed that 67 per cent of print and paper buyers are planning to significantly increase their use of recycled paper over the next five years.

Of these buyers, a quarter plan to increase their use of recycled paper by 50 to 100 per cent in the next 12 months, while half plan to do so by up to 20 per cent.