PAS 2020 and the impact on direct mail marketing
Added: 24/07/2009 Reporter: Peter James
Back in January this year the PAS 2020 environmental standard was launched, receiving backing from Royal Mail as well the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). Developed by BSI British Standards, it is designed to place responsibility for the sustainable development of direct marketing into the hands of industry practitioners and it seems as though sustainable mail is now a pertinent issue. The standard will apply to all organisations involved in direct marketing whatever their size or complexity and will have a "major impact" on the industry, it has been suggested.
Robert Keitch, chief of membership and brand at the DMA, noted that it is the first standard of its kind to have been created specifically for the direct marketing industry and there has been a good deal of interest in the sector over what it can do. It will change the ways in which operations in direct mail marketing are carried out from the ways that items are designed to improved use of data, Mr Keitch claimed, and "will have a massive impact".
He noted that those smaller organisations that are yet to implement environmental policies or initiatives will most likely find it harder to comply with PAS 2020. However, help is at hand as the DMA is offering a variety of services to such firms to help get them started such as the Environmental Planning Tool, Mr Keitch explained.
"One of these is called the Environmental Planning Tool, which is an online application whereby it's just a series of tick boxes to help them assess their current environmental performance and give them the ideas they will need to take it forward," Mr Keitch explained. The tool was launched in May and will also provide marketers with an improved understanding of the breadth and complexity of the environmental issues that the direct marketing industry has to deal with as well as how to address them in a sensible way.
Talking about how companies will react to PAS 2020 and the move towards more sustainable mailing, he commented: "I think you'll see a significant culture change in the next few years. Number one: people will realise that doing these things, [such as] implementing some of these environmental initiatives, is pretty much cutting waste and saving money. Number two, you'll find in the next ten years or so, such is the way environmental legislation is going, it is going to be a lot, lot tougher for companies to operate without having a sound environmental policy in place."
Mr Keitch advised that it will be better for firms to get ready now rather than having to deal with the shock of having to deal with compliance issues in the future and companies are beginning to wake up to this fact. Measures such as PAS 2020 will help organisations prepare for "the regulatory framework that they will have to work in".
Last month, it emerged that National Savings and Investments (NS&I) became the first customer within the government to meet Sustainable Mail environmental standards, designed by Royal Mail. Sustainable Mail and the Responsible Mail products offered by Royal Mail's Wholesale division are the first services available consistent with PAS 2020.
