A new ForestEthics report pegs junk mail'’s contribution to climate change as the equivalent of more than nine million cars, or the emissions generated by heating nearly 13 million homes for the winter.
ForestEthics plugged the amount of junk mail delivered in the U.S. each year (more than 100 billion pieces, or 848 pieces per household, according to U.S. Postal Service estimates) into the Environmental Defense Fund's Paper Calculator, which calculates total greenhouse gas emissions from production, distribution, and disposal. The grand total? A whopping 51 million metric tons of greenhouses gases annually.
"Junk mail has implications for climate change that start in the forest, continue through paper production, printing and distribution, and end with recycling or landfilling," says Jim Ford, the report's author.
Nearly half (44%) of all junk mail delivered in the U.S. goes directly to landfill, according to the report.
The report was launched in support of the ForestEthics Do Not Mail campaign, which aims to encourage Americans to stop receiving junk mail. Download the report here (PDF).
For strategies on greening your company's direct marketing efforts, click here.
