A Greener Way to Market

If your company is in the process of going green, you may be on the lookout for environmentally friendly paper products. But do you really know where your paper has been? Sure, we're all happy to see a high percentage of "post-consumer content," but how can you be sure that the paper stock you're using has been produced according to responsible environmental practices?

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international accreditation organization, assesses the work of forest managers, paper manufacturers, distributors and printers to certify that paper bearing the FSC mark has been produced according to the FSC's principles and criteria.

These standards cover not only responsible forest management and conservation, but also the land rights of indigenous people, workers' rights and economic feasibility. Although these principles are a little more far-reaching than you might expect, the FSC's goal is to ensure long-term sustainability – and that means making sure that responsible paper production continues to be profitable and beneficial for the communities that depend on the paper industry.

In order to earn FSC certification, a product must pass through a complete "chain of custody" from an FSC-certified forest to an FSC-certified pulp manufacturer to an FSC-certified papermaker, merchant and printer, ensuring that the principles and criteria are upheld through every step of the process.

What's more, many FSC-certified printers have begun using vegetable-based inks as an alternative to conventional petroleum inks. With lower levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), soy and other vegetable-based inks help to reduce air pollution by minimizing toxic emissions. Soy crops also require very little energy or irrigation to produce, further reducing environmental strain.

And whether you're implementing greener printing methods or marketing environmentally friendly products, it’s important to carefully evaluate any environmental benefit claims. Increasingly savvy customers are not just looking for the words "eco-friendly"; they need to see facts that make them feel like they’re doing something good for the earth. Statistics, test results and certifications are important tools that consumers use to evaluate products' true environmental benefits.

But consumers are also sensitive to "greenwashing," that is, touting company products or practices that give the appearance of environmental action while other practices communicate just the opposite. Consumers want to support companies that share their convictions. This means that they notice things like the type of paper used to print promotional materials and how a company affects the natural resources it touches. A significant component of successful green marketing is demonstrating a clear company-wide commitment to the environment. From packaging and print collateral to the manufacturer's approach to waste and recycling, consumers need to know they are purchasing a product that is good for the environment all around.

See the promotional materials we designed for Pittsburgh Paints' eco-friendly product lines, Pure Performance and Olympic Premium.