Recycled Envelopes – Upping Your Green Credentials

By: Mark Bartley Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Actually, recycling is important and can help improve your company's identity. Receiving a letter in an envelope that doesn't have 'green credentials' is now regarded as an indication of a company that really doesn't care about their status as an environmentally aware organisation. It's actually a wonder that there are any envelopes made now that aren't recycled, and those using pristine paper products are frowned upon almost as much as smokers and people who beat puppies. In a world worried by the spectre of climate change, being green is the new black.

However, before you feel all self-righteous because yes, your envelopes are recycled, you need to take a closer look at your supplier before you start lauding your green credentials. The recycled announcement is no indication of how green your envelopes really are. There's layer after layer of considerations to wade through before you can use your penchant for environmentally friendly envelopes as accreditation to join the 'with it green club'.

Green and ethical trading is a massive market that is growing rapidly. Opportunities to source your office stationary from genuinely green organisations has never been easier, and in a bid to spread the gospel of Green, prices are, finally, coming down. While it's the buying power of a major organisation that can ultimately dictate the ethical policy of their suppliers, small and medium size organisations are in exactly the right position to take advantage of this and increase their own green credentials in the process. If you want to claim to be an ethically aware company, you're going to need to back that up with more than just recycled envelopes.

Find out from your suppliers what their ethical policy is. Many publish this as part of their annual report and if you're really serious about sourcing from companies that practice green policies, this is a good place to start. To save you ploughing through dozens of online reports, try contacting an organisation such as The Ethical Company Organisation, who run an accreditation scheme for ethical companies and brands, promoting them in The Good Shopping Guide. Even if your suppliers are not officially accredited, you can still apply basic green guidelines to your purchasing policy. So choosing companies that not only sell recycled envelopes but also source from their paper from sustainable forests and offset their carbon footprint is a good way of making sure your suppliers have the right credentials.

Don't underestimate the importance of something so seemingly insignificant as an envelope. This is often the first encounter your customer will have with your company, so it pays to make a good impression from the start. The days of poor quality recycled paper and envelopes that look as if they're made out of old newspapers has long gone. The quality of recycled stationary has improved vastly over the past few years and it is now very difficult to tell the difference between a non-recycled and a recycled envelope. But without that mark on the back, your customers will know that you've plumped for a non-recycled envelope and in an increasingly aware consumer society conscious of the impact on the planet that failing to recycle has - now that really matters. Using recycled envelopes really can make a big difference if you're looking to boost your public image of a company that cares about the environment.

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About The Author: More and more office stationary is made from recycled material. This article provides helpful information and advice on envelope purchase. More information about recycled envelopes and other recycled office stationary is included by Mark Bartley in his regular stationary reviews.