DMA International ECHO Green Marketing Award

Transcription

1 DMA International ECHO Green Marketing Award Overview & Criteria Green marketing is increasingly important from a global, social, economic, and ethical perspective. To this end, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has established the DMA International ECHO Green Marketing Award to honor the most innovative campaign employing environmentally responsible and sustainable marketing strategies and techniques. The ECHO Green Marketing Award recognizes the most creative and strategic use of eco responsible marketing tactics to deliver outstanding results, from a response or return on investment perspective, while producing impacts that affect the environment in positive ways. The new award is open to all ECHO entrants, in any media, market or channel. This award will be chosen from all green marketing entries received, and judged by the DMA Committee on the Environment & Social Responsibility (CESR) in cooperation with the DMA ECHO Committee. Specifically, the ECHO Green Marketing Award winner will have successfully integrated sustainable, creative and strategic environmental considerations throughout the life cycle of the direct marketing process, while delivering outstanding results, as well as inspiring eco action, promoting green awareness, and/or otherwise making a positive impact on the environment. To be eligible, the marketing communication efforts need not center on an eco issue any campaign that markets any product or service will be accepted in the competition. However, entrants must demonstrate and support claims regarding the environmental innovations, impacts, and/or savings and benefits achieved by the direct marketing campaign and reported in the entry. Please review the specific eligibility requirements and instructions below. Eligibility Requirements & Instructions To be considered for the ECHO Green Marketing Award, entrants must: 1. Meet the standard ECHO criteria of excellent marketing strategy, creativity, and results. For more information, please refer to echo.org/welcome.jsp. 2. Complete the Entry Form (on the ECHO competition entry site). 3. Complete the Entry Form Addendum (on page 2). 1

2 Entry Form ADDENDUM INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR ADDENDUM Please upload your Green Marketing Award addendum (1,000 words or less) to your ECHO entry form. In your addendum, please be sure to (a) address the questions listed in the above three sections and (b) include your full contact information and the name of your campaign on your addendum. If you have any questions about the Green Marketing Award, please dma.org. In 1,000 words or less, please provide a concise summary of: (a) how you integrated innovative and strategic environmental considerations and tactics throughout the direct marketing process of your campaign, and (b) how your campaign raised environmental awareness, demonstrated sustainability and/or otherwise benefited the planet. Concentrate on the direct marketing tactics/strategies employed throughout the direct marketing process, and on the impact/results of the campaign in terms of demonstrable benefits to the environment. (c) Numbers are very important as measurements of success, but also describe how your activities improved the planet and/or benefited society. Specifically, please address the following in your response: 1. Innovative Green Tactics & Strategies Employed throughout the Direct Marketing Process. In your addendum response, please describe why and how you integrated environmental considerations and tactics throughout the direct marketing process of your campaign. Questions to consider: What creative or innovative steps did you take throughout the direct marketing process (from list hygiene, design/production, paper/packaging (if applicable), and recycling & pollution reduction) to improve sustainability, conserve natural resources and energy consumption, increase recyclability, or otherwise reduce, reuse, and recycle? Refer to the DMA Green 15 strategies (on page 4) and the strategies in the DMA Environmental Planning Tool ( dma.org/envgen). Did you consider and implement any of these strategies or other strategies during the creation, production and execution of your campaign? What were your objectives and/or motivations for integrating said strategies? 2. Inspired Action & Making a Difference to the Planet. In addition to steps you took to green the direct marketing process itself, please describe any goals, objectives, and outcomes for 2

3 your campaign in terms of promoting environmental awareness/ understanding, encouraging or inspiring environmental action, demonstrating sustainability and/or otherwise benefiting the environment. Questions to consider: Did the campaign inspire action, raise awareness, or otherwise positively benefit the planet and intended recipients of the campaign? If so, how? If sustainability is discussed in your entry, define sustainability and its scope as it relates to the campaign. 3. Measurable Environmental Impact of Your Campaign. As feasible, please quantify and provide documentation for the environmental benefits and/or savings associated with the direct marketing process for your campaign, as well as any response, actions, or other outcomes generated by the campaign. Questions to consider: How well defined and measurable were the environmental goals and objectives of your campaign? What were the specific environmental savings and/or benefits associated with the creation/production/execution of your marketing campaign? 3

4 The Green 15: Benchmarking Environmental Progress As a DMA member, your organization must adhere to our Guidelines for Ethical Business Practice. As part of our ongoing commitment to corporate responsibility, DMA incorporates environmental commitments into our membership requirements. These commitments apply worldwide. In May 2007, DMA s Board of Directors enacted a resolution calling upon members to implement and benchmark a set of 15 baseline business practices our Green 15 that are well understood to deliver environmental benefits, with sensitivity toward an organization s bottom line. In June 2008, the DMA Board established target goals publicly for marketers in key areas addressed in the resolution and set timetables for measuring success. In October 2013, the DMA Board updated the predominantly print and direct mail focused Green 15 to incorporate additional best practices that pertain to the industry s increasingly digitally integrated marketing activities. There are a range of substantial environmental impacts associated with digital marketing activities. These impacts are often less apparent than the environmental impacts associated with tangible printbased marketing materials. Examples include the e waste generated by disposing of obsolete devices and the air pollution and carbon emissions resulting from the electricity generation that powers most data centers and digital marketing operations. Through targeted action in each area of the Green 15, members will minimize environmental impacts of both print and digital communications while capitalizing on cost saving and brand enhancement opportunities. We ask your organization now to establish cross functional green teams consisting of procurement, data, IT, design, marketing, production, and operations staff both within your organization and across your client and supplier networks. This will help us to establish realistic goals for measuring future industry progress overall, and will help you quantify and grow the bottom line benefits of a more environmentally sustainable organization. DMA members are expected to create benchmarks to measure organizational performance on the following concerns, specific to the direct marketing discipline: 4

5 Resource Procurement Paper is both a renewable resource and an important part of the direct marketing process. Making environmentally conscious paper choices can contribute greatly toward reducing your overall environmental footprint. Additionally, your organization must become aware of the energy procurement decisions that power your operations and marketing campaigns, both print and digital in nature. Your Green 15 requirements: 1. Encourage your paper suppliers to increase wood purchases from recognized forest certification programs. 2. Ask your paper suppliers where your paper comes from before buying it with the intent of not sourcing paper from unsustainable or illegally managed forests. Then, require your paper suppliers to commit to implementing sustainable forestry practices that protect forest ecosystems and biodiversity as well as provide the wood and paper products that meet industry needs. 3. Require your paper suppliers to document that they do not produce or sell paper from illegally harvested or stolen wood. 4. Evaluate the paper you use for marketing pieces, product packaging and internal consumption to identify opportunities for increased environmental attributes. 5. Take control of your organization s energy procurement activities to promote a transition to renewable energy sources (energy that is not produced by burning fossil fuels). For outsourced activities, such as data center operations and print production, leverage supplier relationships and third party reports to determine the source of the energy that powers your marketing activities. List Hygiene & Data Management A clean list means less returned or undeliverable mail, less wasted paper, less energy consumed and higher response rates a win for the environment and for your bottom line. Your Green 15 requirements: 6. Comply with DMA Guidelines for list management, including: Maintaining in house do not market lists for prospects and customers who do not wish to receive future solicitations from you. Using the Mail Preference Service (MPS) monthly for consumer prospect mail. Providing existing and prospective customers with notice of an opportunity to modify or eliminate direct mail or solicitations from your organization in every commercial solicitation. 5

6 7. Maintain clean mailing lists by using USPS or commercial equivalent files where applicable for: ZIP Code correction; address standardization; change of address, address element correction, delivery sequence file and/or address correction requested. 8. Apply predictive models and/or Recency Frequency Monetary (RFM) segmentation where appropriate. Design & Production It s not just the paper, energy and other materials you use, it s how you use them. Simple design changes to mail and electronic communications can reduce environmental impact and often result in cost savings as well. Your Green 15 requirements: 9. Review your direct mail and printed marketing pieces and test downsized pieces when and where appropriate. Test and use production methods that reduce print order overruns, waste allowances and in process waste. 10. Use links instead of attachments when sending internal and external electronic communications. Optimizing the file size of images and digital content minimizes Internet bandwidth and storage requirements, thereby reducing hardware and service costs, delivery times, energy consumption, and pollution. 11. Ensure that all environmental labeling is clear, honest and complete. Eliminate unsubstantiated claims including eco friendly, go green, go paperless, and similar environmental generalizations from your marketing communications. Refer to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Green Guides summary for guidelines that will help your organization avoid legal consequences that damage your brand. Packaging No matter what marketing channels your organization uses for direct sales, how you package and ship customer orders and other fulfillment commitments is an important environmental consideration. Your Green 15 requirement: 12. Encourage packaging suppliers to submit alternate solutions for environmentally preferable packaging, in addition to quoting prices on approved or existing specifications. Recycling & Pollution Reduction Not just in your organization s marketing operations, but throughout your office, there are steps you can take to reduce your organization s environmental footprint, and encourage your customers to do the same. Your Green 15 requirements: 13. Purchase office papers, packing and packaging materials made from recycled and recyclable materials with post consumer content where appropriate. Clearly label all packaging materials, 6

7 especially plastics, with standard recycling codes to facilitate recycling by consumers or downstream partners. 14. Participate in DMA s Recycle Please campaign and/or in another recycling campaign and/or demonstrate that your company or organization has in place a program to encourage recycling in your workplace and/or your community. 15. Immediately implement best practices for responsible disposal of all electronic equipment when devices reach the end of their useful life. Electronic devices must not be allowed to enter your city s regular waste stream. Devices include PCs, mobile phones, peripherals and wiring, monitors, servers, rechargeable batteries, and fluorescent light bulbs. Refer to Earth911.com or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency websites to locate nearby retailers and drop off locations that accept electronic waste (e waste). Larger organizations should make arrangements with a third party e waste recycler that adheres to the E Stewards Certification standards. This ensures your obsolete devices are recycled responsibly. Confidential data is destroyed, toxic materials are kept out of the environment, and people in the U.S. and developing countries are protected from the health impacts resulting from improper or illegal processing of e waste. Links to Helpful Resources: General Advice Contact the DMA s Committee on the Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility a group of peers in marketing organizations who have the expertise to help your organization implement the Green 15, share case studies or discuss how to get started. environment@the dma.org. DMA Environment Website comprehensive sustainability resources for direct marketers dma.org/environment Create Green Teams to implement the Green 15 guidelines and drive sustainable change throughout your organization. For advice, contact the DMA sustainability committee or refer to these examples: Save_Energy.pdf? e6 GreenTeams final.pdf Resource Procurement U.S. Environmental Protection Agency locate printers, IT providers and other vendors who participate in the EPA s Green Power Partnership by powering their operations with energy from non fossil fuel sources. EPA Green Power Partners directory: 7

8 Data center pollution report It is critical to understand the source of the energy behind your organization s digital communications activities. To learn what to look for, view the environmental statistics and rankings for major data center and cloud computing providers. How Clean is Your Cloud? reports: reports/climate Reports/How Clean is Your Cloud/ List Hygiene and Data Management Mail preference resources from DMA for both marketers and consumers Design & Production U.S. Federal Trade Commission Green Guides understand your legal requirements for making qualified environmental claims regarding products and services. Avoid greenwashing and prevent legal and reputational risk. Understand how to properly use standard recycling codes when labeling product and packaging materials. Download a summary of the Green Guides (Less technical) claims summary green guides Download the full Green Guides (Very technical) FTC Environmental Marketing resources for businesses andmarketing/environmental marketing FTC Consumer friendly information: going green Recycling & Pollution Reduction DMA Recycle Please campaign join your peer organizations to help consumers increase recycling rates of direct mail and print marketing materials Electronic waste (e waste) recycling E waste is detrimental to the health of people and the environment if not disposed of responsibly. Find retail and municipal drop off locations that accept used electronic devices: Municipal & retail e waste recycling search tool The U.S. EPA offers information on several enterprise solutions for e waste recycling Locate enterprise recycling partners that adhere to E Stewards Certification standards a recycler/ 8