"Reducing emissions is the responsibility of all commercial and industrial sectors. It is important that the postal sector continues to support a better and cleaner world while still delivering people's mail and helping business along."
These were the opening remarks of Ingemar Persson, Secretary General of PostEurop (association of 48 European public postal operators), for his presentation entitled "The Facts of Our Value Chain", made to the UPU Consultative Committee last March. Ingemar was summarizing the findings of a comprehensive study conducted by the European Mail Industry Platform (www.emip.eu), a joint initiative of key stakeholders in the European mailing industry. Here are some of the findings of the study:
•Direct mail is one of the most valued marketing media in Europe.
•90% of the paper used in direct mail campaigns in Europe is recycled.
•Mail represents 0.1% of the total household CO2 emissions on the continent.
•Electronic communications are not more environmentally friendly than paper-based communica¬tions.
•There is no such thing as "junk mail"!

Comment Aad Weening: Indeed, there is no such thing as junk mail as the study concludes, only “irrelevant mail” if I remember right the legendary words of Lester Wundermann.

The study: “The facts of our Value Chain” is available at:
http://www.emip.eu/images/PDF/brochure.pdf