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What are the benefits to customers?
Customers have the opportunity to benefit from lower prices and increase return on investment whilst demonstrating their environmental credentials to their own customers and contributing to their Corporate Social Responsibility scores.
What are the benefits to the environment?
Direct Mail is sent to up-to-date and relevant addresses, cutting down on wasted mail. Customers also use materials that have been produced using processes and resources that are less harmful to the environment and are recyclable.
Who has Royal Mail Wholesale consulted in developing this new service?
We consulted a cross-section of our customers, trade associations, Government and other environmental experts and organisations to establish a specification that offers a practical and cost-beneficial way for customers to reduce their Direct Mail′s impact on the environment. Our Responsible Mail specification has been aligned to the British Standards Institute’s specification document on environmental performance of Direct Marketing, PAS 2020 (January 2009) and gives you guidance on how to prepare your mail to have least environmental impact.
There are two levels in our specification: Entry and Intermediate. Both will evolve over time to reflect changing capabilities of local authorities to recycle material, as well as technological developments in the mail industry. Changes to the service specification will be linked to changes to the PAS 2020 specification, which is to be reviewed periodically.
We have also aimed to align our specification to recognised schemes such as WRAP (Waste & Resource Action Programme) and CPET (Central Point of Expertise on Timber Procurement).
Who was involved in developing the new environmental standard for Direct Marketing?
Royal Mail, the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, Acxiom and the Direct Mail Association have been working in partnership with the British Standards Institute to develop a new environmental standard for Direct Marketing called PAS 2020.
Why is Responsible Mail only for Direct Mail?
Responsible Mail is Royal Mail Wholesale’s first contribution to the environmental agenda. We are attempting to support the market for mail that is ‘optional’ by incentivising sending customers to post Direct Mail that is responsibly produced and based on up-to-date, accurate mailing lists. We believe that Direct Mail in particular should aim to minimise its impact on the environment and so have made available an appropriate service option.
Why are brown envelopes and paper not included within the specification?
Experts believe that materials used in the production of brown paper (including manila) cannot be recycled as effectively as those used for other types of paper.
Why doesn’t the specification include packets?
Generally, packet formats are not synonymous with Direct Mail. Packets are used typically for a fulfilment application.
Why does the specification allow virgin fibre paper – surely it’s less environmentally friendly than recycled paper?
Experts recognise that virgin fibre paper can be an environmentally friendly option, if derived from a sustainably managed source: it contributes to a reduction in carbon in the atmosphere while
growing and can be readily replenished. It is also the case that there are limited amounts of recycled paper; virgin fibre paper is an acceptable alternative.
What’s the price difference?
There is a price reduction of 0.3p per item for Responsible Mail Entry Level compared to normal Access Letter and Large Letter prices in weight bands 0 – 100g and 101g – 250g. For Intermediate Level, there is an additional 0.4p per item price reduction, making the total price reduction 0.7p per item compared to normal Access Letter and Large Letter prices in weight bands 0 – 100g and 101g – 250g. For items in weight bands above 250g, the price reduction is on the basis of a percentage, which means the price incentive rises progressively for items weighing more than 250g. Please refer to the pricing tables on the Royal Mail Wholesale website where the basis of establishing a specific price can be found for all Responsible Mail items.
Is accreditation required before using Responsible Mail?
Prior to their first posting, customers are required to certify in writing as part of their contract with Royal Mail Wholesale that any item posted as Responsible Mail will conform to the specification for the service. Royal Mail may undertake a compliance audit and/or ask the customer to provide sample/test items of mail.
What is required to prove that paper is virgin or recycled fibre content and is sourced from a forest certification scheme approved by the Central Point of Expertise on Timber Procurement (CPET)?
A certificate of conformance for the chain of custody from your supply chain (e.g. paper wholesaler or paper mill).
What is required to prove adherence to BS EN ISO 14001 Environmental Management System?
An up-to-date certificate of conformance from the British Standards Institute’s qualification procedure.
Is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) accreditation equivalent to the BS EN ISO 14001 requirement for Intermediate level?
No. The two are not the same thing. The FSC chain of custody for an organisation requires it to trace the entire supply chain right back to the raw material. It is up to the business to ensure that all of its suppliers in the chain also meet FSC standards. This is a specific accreditation relating to wood/paper procurement and forestry management.
What is BS EN ISO 14001?
The BS EN ISO 14001 Environmental Management System relates to the internal processes and systems within an organisation and the impacts they have on the environment.
Is FSC accreditation approved by CPET and therefore meets the requirement for Responsible Mail Entry Level?
FSC is one of five certification schemes approved by CPET. These are:
• Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
• Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC)
• Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)
• Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
Accreditation from any one of these schemes will satisfy the CPET requirement for Responsible Mail Entry Level.
Are there any plans to allow bio-degradable polywrap in the future?
Currently the Responsible Mail specification excludes the use of all forms of polywrap. However, the environmental landscape is evolving and our plans will change to reflect this, although it is important to bear in mind that the overall emphasis is on recyclability, not bio-degradability.
What is WRAP?
WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) is a private not-for-profit company established in 2000. WRAP is backed by Government funding from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its purpose is to help individuals, businesses and local authorities to reduce waste and recycle more, making better use of resources and helping to tackle climate change.
Where can I find out about the Recycle Now WRAP logo?
Recycle Now is a national communications campaign for England to encourage people to recycle. Scotland and Wales have their own initiatives - Waste Aware Scotland and Recycle for Wales. Please visit this link for sourcing logo details and artwork for use on your mail piece: www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk
What information on how to recycle an item is acceptable?
Examples could be ‘Read me, recycle me’ or ‘Recycle when finished’.
Why are laminate and UV varnish finishes not allowed?
Lamination can render a product unrecyclable and non-biodegradable and the lamination process emits high levels of volatile organic compounds. UV varnishes are mineral-oil based, which contain solvents. Their application is via a process that uses a large amount of energy and they cause problems for the recycling process.
How can the requirement for less than 90% ink coverage be measured?
Ink coverage relates to the density of the ink, not the amount of the page covered by ink. Printers and agencies should know the density of the inks used and how it is measured. Ink density is important because, if an ink is too dense, it cannot easily be removed during the recycling process to create white paper. 'De-inking' requires extra processing (and energy) and results in residues that can contaminate. Ink coverage is expressed as an average percentage of the sum of the percentage coverage of each individual ink used. For example: Cyan 20% + magenta 30% + yellow 60% + black 10% = 120/4 = 30%. This example of determining ink coverage is based upon a four-colour set of inks. Similar calculations apply for the various alternative dot patterns that are used.,However, if any individual ink is over 90% coverage then it doesn’t comply with this requirement and automatically fails. An ink at a density above 90% cannot be used in an average percentage calculation to reduce the overall density to less than 90%. But where no individual colour exceeds 90%, then the average percentage calculation is applicable. Several software tools exist for measuring total ink coverage, including system specific tools, stand alone applications and plug-ins. Some examples are APFill (stand alone), PressPercent Pro (stand alone), Phantasm (Illustrator add on), Inkcoverage (shareware plug-in for Photoshop), and Under Colour Removal (UCR) techniques should be employed where possible to assist in reducing ink coverage.
If the answer to your question is not here then please email us by clicking on the link at the top of the page or visiting the contacts section.
