The USPS has recently started sending me “Deliver; A Magazine for Marketers”.  The September 2009 issue is titled Going Green: Marketers Discover New Environmental Territory.  Basically it’s 30 pages packed full of the latest and greatest green initiatives.  A lot of it I have heard and seen,  but I really liked this page.  Just interesting to see where direct mail stands as opposed to other human waste.  I’m always surprised how many people DON’T ask us about our green initiatives and what they can do to make their direct mail programs more environmentally friendly.

Even though few are asking,  I’m still going to put my two cents in! In my opinion,  the most waste comes from lack of list hygiene.  State Agency’s, for example,  send millions of pieces a year to bad addresses due to certain laws in place preventing them to update their data without a direct request from the recipient.  Failure to use list updating software like NCOA (National Change of Address) can result in a large percentage of your mail incorrectly addressed.  An average of 15% of Americans change their address each year, if you’re not doing something to keep up on the changes your undeliverable standard mail is thrown away by the USPS.

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