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How to Ignore the Green Movement (and still keep your job)
October 2008
Greetings!


OK, I'll admit it - the headline was written to get your attention. It's virtually impossible to ignore the focus on environmental issues these days. Oh sure, the attention has temporarily shifted recently, thanks to the financial crisis that is keeping us all awake at night. But concern for the environment commands our perpetual attention to keep us from doing more damage to our planet and reversing some of the negative impact already made. I assure you that the motivations behind Green Initiatives have not gone away.

What I meant by ignoring the Green Movement was to suggest that we avoid getting so caught up in the wide-ranging global problems that we become overwhelmed and unable to make an impact in the area where we can (and should) make a difference - the document production and mailing areas of our companies. Let's not get so wrapped up in the problem of global warming that we become entirely immobile.

In case you haven't noticed, any operation that involves paper is an easy target for well-meaning citizens to use as an example of corporate waste and inexcusable disdain for the environment. The more paper you use or distribute, the more pressure you will feel. If you are feeling that pressure already, we can help. PMC has some powerful ideas that companies can use to lower their paper consumption and make their communications more earth-friendly - today.

Our clients report that the extraordinary emphasis on saving the environment can come from inside the company; the result of new sustainability policies, or prompted by the recent creation of officer positions and departments meant to get your corporation "green". Or it can come from the outside - local, national, and international environmental groups, shareholders, customers, and the public at large. As an industry, we must certainly respond. But the real differences will be made by individual managers who run the operations that create and mail the documents. That's a big responsibility!

Danger Zone
 Document Operations Managers who don't get involved on this issue will find that decisions are getting made for them by uninformed people who believe that doing something - anything - that they can use as an example of corporate responsibility is necessary right now. The danger is that unilateral decisions handed down by powerful offices with no document production experience can have unintended consequences in your production facility.

Here's an example:

Suppose that your Corporate Sustainability Office goes to the Purchasing Department and demands that every piece of paper that they buy be made of 100% post-consumer recycled waste. Shortly thereafter, statement paper starts jamming in printers and envelopes fail on your high-speed inserting equipment. We've seen this happen before.

The jams cause you to run the production equipment, lights, air conditioning, and waste disposal systems an extra 2 hours a day. In this case, there may have been more hydrocarbons released into the atmosphere as a result of the energy consumed to process the poorly-running material than were saved by purchasing the higher-percentage recycled items. Not to mention the increased chance of errors that can generate even more unnecessary energy consumption to research and correct.

Your equipment may handle some recycled materials just fine. But the material specifications need to be followed and new materials need to be tested in order to evaluate the overall impact of the change. What seemed on the surface to be an obvious and easy action to take may not have been the best approach. However, there are many proven strategies to accomplish both the goals of the Sustainability Group and your department. To learn more, contact us today and ask about doing a green assessment.

It is vitally important that a corporation communicate to their stakeholders, particularly their customers, exactly what changes they've made and why. If on the surface it seems that you might have done more, a reasonable explanation of your solution is critical. We counsel our clients to consider how they will communicate customer-affecting changes as they are developing and testing solutions.

Resource-lite?
 Unfortunately, most document operations departments do not have the extra resources that are necessary for discovering the environmentally-friendly alternatives, doing the research to confirm the environmental effects, test and implement the changes, and compose the communication to the stakeholders. These departments are risking a severe loss of control in their own operations. Those managers who push back on sustainability policies may be seen as uncooperative and may be in jeopardy of being replaced.

The Solution
 So it will be necessary to get some help to do this important job in a way that is truly meaningful and helpful to the environment. Partnering with an expert will save you both time and money. There are so many big changes coming up in our industry, managers have plenty of other issues to worry about. The time to start "ignoring the green movement" and initiating effective programs in your shop is right now!

Print/Mail Consultants has created a list of 10 essential questions that document managers should be asking themselves today as they get started on this essential issue that will be impossible to ignore. Just drop me an email with GREEN QUESTIONS in the subject line to have the list sent to you, free of charge. PMC also offers personalized guidance to help you with your sustainability goals and objectives. The environment won't wait, let's get started today!

More resources are available on the PMC web site, including Take This Job and Stuff IT! - A Practical Guide for Document Operations Managers. We are into the second printing and the publisher is currently shipping copies to document professionals like yourself. Simply visit www.print mailconsultants.com and click on the links to read an excerpt or order your copy.

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Sincerely,

Mike Porter Sig
Mike Porter
Print/Mail Consultants
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