Mail...The Medium That Delivers!

The following is a perspective by postal commentator Gene Del Polito for Direct magazine. The views expressed here are far from being only the author's.

Those charged with the stewardship over the welfare of the direct mail industry dread the beginning of every new legislative year. I'm somewhat undecided as to whether this time of the year should be characterized as the start of "silly season" or the start of just something stupid. For this is typically the time when those who should know better in state legislatures across the nation embark on a campaign to besmirch those who do business by mail. Usually this takes the form of legislation to limit (or cripple) the value and utility of using the mail as a means of business communication and commerce.

This year is no different. In fact, several bills already have been introduced that would require states to develop the kind of "do not mail" lists that now exist for telemarketing. The genesis of these bills is usually the same, i.e., a total ignorance of the facts versus the myths of mail's impact on the nation's forests, the environment, and the economy.

So, to help you get ready to make sure you can set the record straight with those legislators within your states who have started year off on the wrong foot, here are a few facts to keep in mind.

Mail constitutes a very small portion of our nation's solid waste. In fact, it amounts to no more than four ten-thousandths of all nonhazardous waste that finds its way to a landfill.

Millions of tons of waste paper is captured for recycling before most reaches a landfill. Furthermore, the nation's landfill capacity is not shrinking. It's growing.

No one is cutting down precious forests for the sake of "junk mail." In fact, the tress that are harvested for paper typically have been grown specifically for that purpose. In agricultural terms, they're called "tree farms."

Trees are a renewable resource. Once cut, tree farms are reforested to ensure a plentiful supply of wood pulp for paper.

Every environmental group that raises funds or communicates with its supporters does so by...you guessed it...the mail. In fact, most are major users of advertising mail to sustain their support and activities. They do so for a reason, and that is because mail is not environmentally unsound and is economically vital to our nation's well-being.

So don't get fooled by the false rhetoric. Businesses use mail largely because they know that direct mail is medium that truly delivers.