I did something a little nuts today. I have run a small niche publishing business since 2000, and I learned very quickly that when you print books on demand and sell them retail, you either lose nearly all your profit margin by buying packing boxes or you have to charge a lot more than you […]
Lessons Learned from an Envelope Box Turned Inside Out Read More 👉
For marketers looking to improve the sustainability of their print marketing programs, there is almost nothing more important than the role of the paper. For this reason, Wausau Paper has launched a new online community, Digital Space, for designers, printers, and other experts in digital print technology and applications. The site includes both a collaborative,
It’s All About the Paper — New Online Blog & Community Read More 👉
When we think about greening “print,” we often think about books or marketing communications like direct mail. But what about the world of packaging? Because packaging provides the additional functions of shipment and product protection as well as marketing, it brings a host of unique issues far beyond other types of printed materials. Plus, it’s
Green Your Packaging Now — Before They Make You Do It Read More 👉
It’s the time of year when people are making resolutions to lose weight, better manage their finances, better manage their anger, and myriad other things. Is increasing your commitment to environmental sustainability on that list? As I wrote in my very first post for The Inspired Economist in the fall of 2008, the neat thing
What’s Your Green Resolution for 2010? Read More 👉
In my daughter’s backpack this morning, I discovered a note about school pictures, soon to be delivered. That brings to mind the topic of yearbooks. Here’s a product that has everything wrong with it from an environmental standpoint — coated paper (making the paper difficult to recycle), tons of ink, lots of unnecessary pages, and
“Green” Yearbooks? We’re Getting There! Read More 👉
Do you like to play with online tools? I do. I like environmental calculators. It’s fun to plug in a bunch of numbers and see what you come up with. Take environmental calculators offered by paper companies. Want to know how much you can green your print marketing just by making a simple switch? They’ll
Decrease Your Carbon Footprint 2600% — With One Click Read More 👉
I love when I hear about marketing campaigns that have a double benefit — they are more effective than traditional campaigns and they are greener, too. How does this happen? Typically, it happens because marketers make smarter use of their databases. They select out a portion of their customer databases and create more customized or
Marketing: Be More Effective, Cut Fewer Trees Read More 👉
Can you green your business for free? With the right qualifiers, you might. There is at least one company that will take a comprehensive look at your organization, project out the amount of money it can save on your electric bill by installing greener technologies, and outfit you — free — on a contingency basis
Greening Your Business — For Free! Read More 👉
One of the terrific things about greening a print marketing program is that many of the best practices in marketing today have “green” as a by-product. Take the example of J. C. Penney, which made marketing headlines today when it announced that it would be discontinuing its semi-annual Big Book catalog after the Fall-Winter 09
Smart Marketing = Greener Printing for J. C. Penney Read More 👉
As climate change legislation makes its way through Congress and stakeholders increase pressure on businesses and government to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, AltaTerra Research will be hosting the web conference “Carbon Footprint Reduction for the Long Haul.” This event will be held Thursday, December 3rd at 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST and
Carbon Footprint Reduction Web Conference to Be Held December 3rd Read More 👉
I’ve written a lot in these posts about print vs. electronic media and the sustainability issues faced by both (yes, both! electronic media aren’t as green as people think). Now you can investigate more deeply for yourself. On November 17, Target Marketing and Printing Impressions will offer a webinar titled “Paper or Electronic? The Impact
People? Planet? Or Profits? Read More 👉
What is the current state of the consumer on the issue of green products? Grail Research, which recently conducted a survey of 500 consumers on issues related to the purchase of green products, refers to green as mainstream and sticky, but not deep. According to the study, “The Green Revolution” (September 2009), 84% of consumers
Green: Mainstream, Sticky, but Not Deep Read More 👉
Did you notice something different on the back pages of The Order of the Phoenix? If you live in the Canadian market, you might. The fifth book in the Harry Potter series has something unusual on its back pages. It’s an environmental audit. The audit, produced using New Leaf Paper’s Eco Audit Calculator, uses New
Harry Potter Sports an Environmental Audit Read More 👉
Companies marketing green products and, in particular, promoting their green energy initiatives are using words like “energy conservation” and “green energy,” but what effect has this had on consumers? Do they care? Do they even understand what these terms mean? EcoAlign, a strategic marketing agency focused on energy and the environment, decided to find out.
Green Energy Talk: Oops! The Gap Is Showing! Read More 👉
I’ve blogged a lot about how the printing industry is far greener than people give it credit for. The presses are more efficient. Paper often has high recycled content. Marketing strategies emphasize smart use of data over volume production. There are many ways that printing is green — greener, many argue, than electronic media. But
Care About Green Printing? Better Tell Your Printer! Read More 👉
An increasing number of marketers are turning to toner- or inkjet-based printing in order to green their print marketing programs. It’s not that offset presses are inherently ungreen. On the contrary, printing as a whole is a whole lot greener than many people give it credit for. But digital printing has some compelling green benefits.
Marketing Report: Making “Green Printing” Work Read More 👉
Many marketers are pushing their customers toward electronic statements, e-newsletters, bills, and transactional statements as a “green” move, but in reality, it has more to do with economics. It’s cheaper for businesses to send electronic communications than print. But while pushing e-communications as greener, has anyone bothered to ask what customers how they feel about
Print vs. Electronic Media: Has Anyone Asked Customers What THEY Prefer? Read More 👉
Did you know that copiers consume the most energy of all types of office equipment? That they consume power even when they are sitting idle? Simply by switching to a more energy-efficient type of printer, you can take a chunk out of your carbon emissions. In addition to their cost efficiency, this is one reason
Can You Cook a Turkey in Your Copier? Read More 👉
Three days ago, I blogged about the EPA’s Green Power Partners site, which lists the top green power users in the country. That post got more traffic in a day than my posts normally get in a month. That was very exciting for me. People clearly care about this issue. At least for me, when
Are You Giving This Green Industry Its Due? Read More 👉
Have you ever been curious about the companies that use the most green power? Or that are 100% powered by wind? Such a list might change the way you think about making purchases, wouldn’t it? Would it change the way you purchase soft drinks? Yogurt products? Financial services? If you knew that one company used
Top 10 Green Energy Users — Ready for a Shock? Read More 👉
I know I’ve been a bit like a dog on a bone about the fact that print is not necessarily the enemy, but I think it’s important. Marketers are being hit like a locomotive with the idea that e-mail and other electronic media are green because they don’t use paper, but there is a lot
The New Green Media: Print Read More 👉
Recently, a new term has been coined in the green socioverse — “precycling.” While defined different ways, the term basically refers to a change in customer thinking toward the reduction in waste and a predisposition toward recyclable packaging and packaging or manufacturing components that make products easier to recycle. There are some great trends coming
Pre-Cycling: A Contrarian’s Perspective Read More 👉
In today’s marketing world, the paper industry is seen as the big, bad guy — the energy hogging, landfill-clogging waste producer that needs to be replaced by cleaner, more efficient electronic media. But is this really the case? The paper industry claims that the opposite is true. It points out that electronic media are huge
The Paper Industry Fights Back Read More 👉
It’s a debate that’s raged in the printing and marketing community for some time. If you switch to electronic methods of communication, are you really greener than if you use print? Or by switching some portion of your print marketing to email or other e-communications, are you really helping the planet? International Paper has produced
Are Pixels Greener Than Paper? Read More 👉
