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Fall 2006

Words of Worth

The e-zine of Jussim Communications

Words to stimulate your thinking on how to achieve results in marketing your products, services and ideas.

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Words of Worth is published four times a year.

Marketing and Sustainability

Business success requires marketing. Despite the growth of e-marketing, printed marketing materials are still very much with us, and producing them consumes tremendous quantities of wood, water and energy. So in this issue we approach "achieving marketing results" from the angle of environmental sustainability. The choice of paper, print and finish recommendations for marketing projects is usually made by graphic designers, and most of us are happy to have someone do that for us. In that context, you can still make a difference:

  • Choose a designer interested in and knowledgeable about sustainable design. Fortunately, the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA) has taken an active position supporting sustainable design and is working to educate its members about sustainability (1). So with a few pointed questions you should be able to find an environmentally-informed designer.

  • If you already have a designer you like, raise the subject with them. You may find they've wanted to talk to you about sustainability but were unsure how to do it.

  • Be ready to discuss some key questions with your designer:

    1. Can we use paper with a high post-consumer recycled content? Chances are you can. The range of such papers available has expanded tremendously—it's not just "rough and speckled" anymore. Domtar's EarthChoice product line, for example, has 13 products with over 700 total options (colors, weights, coatings, etc).. For many purposes, you can get 30% or more post-consumer content, at prices equivalent to or very close to virgin pulp paper.

    2. Can we find FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) certified paper if we need to use virgin paper or wood products? There are high-quality papers available that combine post-consumer content with FSC-certified wood pulp. (2)

    3. Can we use paper bleached without chlorine? This can be paper recycled chlorine-free (RCF), or virgin paper made totally without chlorine (TCF). There's also the choice of chlorine compounds vs. elemental chlorine—the compounds are somewhat better.

    4. Have we given thought to how we're using paper coatings? The clay used on coated paper interferes with the recycling process. However, coatings are essential for high gloss and other design effects. Sometimes you need them, but raising the question rather than assuming their use will result in a more recyclable waste stream.

    5. Can we use agri-based/low VOC inks? Can we avoid using inks with heavy metals? Soy and other vegetable inks are suitable for most applications and have similar color quality. In other situations, inks that are low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may be better. Either one reduces air and water pollution in production and use, and provides a healthier environment for printing staff. Heavy metals are used in printing certain colors; if you are creating a new corporate design identity and will be printing many things with the new colors, you may want to consider avoiding colors with high heavy metal content.

    6. Sustainability is complex, and there are always trade-offs to be made. By finding support from a designer well-informed about sustainability and print design, you can make decisions on marketing design and production that are better for us all.
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(1) See www.sustainability.aiga.org
(2) Note that SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) certification, a forestry industry designation, is not the same as FSC certification (there are SFI forests with large areas of clear cutting, for example. Seeing one such was part of the inspiration for this article).