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DM Industry Launches First Environmental Standard to Secure Green Future
Buy PAS 2020
A new environmental standard, launched 21 January 2009, will place responsibility
for the sustainable development of direct marketing into the hands of the industry’s
practitioners.
PAS 2020: Direct Marketing – Environmental performance - Specification has
been commissioned by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) in partnership with
Acxiom, ISBA (The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers), Royal Mail and the
Telephone Preference Service. Developed by BSI British Standards, it will provide
the direct marketing industry with a standard against which the environmental performance
of a direct marketing campaign can be independently certified.
PAS 2020 establishes a set of environmental objectives, performance levels
and indicators which set out how to create and manage an environmentally-responsible
direct marketing campaign.
PAS 2020 is applicable to all organisations involved in direct marketing
regardless of their size or complexity, for example, client companies, advertising
agencies, printers and mailing houses.
The first edition of the standard, available from www.bsigroup.com/PAS2020 , covers
all marketing channels, but contains more detail on channels whose environmental
impacts are better understood at present, such as direct mail. The detailed specifications
for environmental performance include:
• The use of suppression and cleaning files to maximise data efficiency
• Clarification on specifying the most environmentally-friendly paper stocks and
production techniques
• The use of ‘call to recycle’ action on all appropriate marketing materials
The launch of
PAS 2020 will enable effective self-regulation for the direct marketing
industry at a time when the impact of impending Government legislation looms large.
The year 2010 will see the implementation of major initiatives, such as the EU Landfill
Directive, devised by policymakers to improve the environmental behaviour of businesses
and consumers.
Robert Keitch, Director of Media Channel Development at the DMA, said: “PAS
2020 will serve as a vital resource for the DM industry to decisively meet
its environmental obligations, demonstrate its environmental credentials and to
brace the industry for the introduction of strict new environmental legislation
that could prove financially draining for unprepared businesses.
“Adopting environmental best practice is commercial best practice; as well as increasing
production and delivery efficiencies, businesses modifying their operations today
will fare better than businesses that don’t as legislation starts to come into effect.”
Mike Low, Director of BSI British Standards, said: “PAS
2020 responds directly to the need of the marketing industry for an environmental
standard. The standard will prove invaluable for organisations wishing to benchmark
their environmental activity. BSI’s impartial and thorough standardization process,
coupled with the market experience of the DMA and Steering Committee members, has
resulted in a robust and practicable business tool.” The standard has been independently
facilitated by BSI British Standards and has been developed over 18 months. BSI
carried out an extensive consultation process, engaging with key stakeholders from
government, industry, trade associations and consumer groups. A one month public
consultation with several hundred organisations resulted in 1000 comments, all of
which were reviewed by the
PAS 2020 Steering Group, which was made up of 30 industry representatives.