When it comes to eco-friendly direct mail wrapping options, paper is a winner

s any business-owner will know, attention to detail is key. For those who work

Despite the shift towards digital in many areas of our lives, print marketing remains a major contributor to the typical media mix, with advertising mail forming the third largest media channel in the UK, worth £1.7 billion annually. Though many businesses are cutting marketing spend in the current climate, a recent article suggests that those who halved their marketing budget took up to three years to catch up with competitors who carried on as normal.

A 2019 survey by YouGov found that 46% of Britons felt guilty about the quantity of plastic they use and that 82% were actively attempting to reduce the amount they threw away. Mail wrapping, like packaging, is now an object of scrutiny as a result. Confronted with different (and often confusing) recycling rules from council to council, consumers are keen to move away from plastic films altogether. In the era of a more eco-conscious consumer, the days of poly wraps, plastic-window envelopes and bubble-padded packaging are numbered, if not already over.

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Do your homework. Our industry has changed dramatically over the last couple of years. Materials and postal options have evolved greatly. Get in touch, we will recognise your requirements and will gladly talk you through all options available, providing you with unbiased and knowledgeable guidance.

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materials you use. After all, choosing eco-friendly packaging might be that small detail that helps win over a potential customer. That being said, finding wrapping that ticks all the right boxes can be a challenge.

rands and consumers alike continue to demand greener thinking and sustainable options from their suppliers, and the

When you’re doing these proofs you then have the option to put in your ideas. I’ll say, “Look, I hope you don’t mind but I’ve done another option for you. What do you think to that? And that’s how much that costs.” It’s really powerful. The person you’re giving it to becomes your best friend because they take that into a meeting and people will say, “Wow, that’s brilliant, how did you get that done?” They become great within their company. We’ve been advocates of this way of selling because it changes your offering, it gives you options and every one of them is great for your brand.

A number of companies have opted for biodegradable starch-based films, known as PLAs, which are made from starch that’s usually derived from potato or corn. Slightly more opaque than poly wraps, these films can be printed on, while remaining biodegradable and compostable (either in a compost heap or in a food waste bin). The National Trust, for example, uses Bioplast 300® Home Compostable EN13432 film to send out its magazine to members. Produced from potatoes that would otherwise have gone to waste, the Bioplast 300® wrapping takes between 180 and 360 days to compost once it’s exposed to microorganisms, temperatures over 25°C and a high level of humidity.

So, what are the best alternative options for your future mail-outs?

ince the pandemic, the internet has gradually transformed more aspects of our lives and print has had to work harder than ever to prove its value in the modern world. Despite this, the past year has seen a revival of tactile paper-based media: our love for books, magazines and other forms of printed content has been rekindled as lockdown saw work, shopping and socialising shift online.

Walstead recently reported on the success of insert campaigns and door drops during the pandemic and, though many brands rushed to shift their marketing spend online, print marketing materials have adapted to weather the storm, with a renewed focus on direct mail, in store signage and personalised company handbooks or printed materials that may once have been shared.

21% of individuals who had the highest levels of digital engagement in 2020, are now engaging less. As consumers have had to rely more on the internet to connect with the outside world during lockdown, hours of screen time have taken their toll and resulted in increasing levels of internet fatigue.

The effects of this saturation have been noted by the media industry. Earlier this year, Bauer Media published findings which established that, in the UK, 11% of the population are reading magazines more than they did pre-pandemic. Dennis Publishing saw a similar trend, reporting subscription increases of 9% during lockdown. Meanwhile, the Publishers Association found that, in 2020, fiction sales in the UK were up by 16%, with non-fiction up by 4%. The most telling statistic states that print sales generally were up 4% to £1.7 billion, an increase which points to a palpable desire for non-digital content.

Much in the same way that there’s an increased appetite for books and magazines, mail order catalogues have become a welcome physical alternative to online browsing. In fact, payment solutions provider Dojo found that the mail order catalogue sector thrived during the pandemic. It ranked second in the top 20 industries with the highest percentage increase between March and November 2020 and witnessed an impressive growth of 349.2%. A clear sign that, after hours spent scrolling online, turning physical pages comes as a welcome change.

with printed marketing collateral, that means you need to consider both the

material you print on as well as the direct mail/magazine/catalogue wrapping

Let’s start with naked mailing. As the name suggests, this option eliminates packaging completely. However, there are some evident downsides to sending the mail unwrapped: you can no longer include third-party advertisements – a money-maker if you’re a magazine – and the product can get damaged in transit.

Walstead works in partnership with Westcolour Ltd, a leader of subscription magazine fulfilment, across all of its sites. Andrew Bowden, Commercial Director of Westcolour, speaks in favour of paper mailing packages, which are 100% recyclable, often compostable, yet still robust. Drawing on first-hand experience, he says, ‘Our customers and their subscribers have been delighted with the environmental advantages of paper. In addition, the introduction of printed paper packs as a replacement for plastic on the newsstand has been received brilliantly with some projects achieving improved sales.’

As with all paper-based products, it’s best to choose packaging made from paper with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation. The paper Westcolour uses, for example, is carbon-balanced, certified by the World Land Trust and always PEFC or FSC grade. If you do settle on this option it’s worth noting that, if you laminate paper-based packaging, it will make it non-recyclable – thus bringing you back to square one – unless you consider recyclable cover finishes, such as those supplied by Celloglas.

Environmental benefits aside, there is also the question of cost. In that respect, PLAs are a more costly alternative, as Bowden highlights, ‘Compostable films are more expensive than paper, especially when produced as printed film.’ He goes on to add that paper has obvious cost benefits, ‘12 months ago I would have said that swapping traditional plain LDPE polythene for plain paper wrap could be cost-neutral but, over the past year, due to a resin shortage, polythene costs have soared to the extent where paper wrapping is now more cost-effective, also providing postal tariff benefits that were not always available previously.’ Customers benefit from Royal Mail mail-mark discounts on paper wrap, which isn’t possible on poly as the QR code can’t be scanned. ‘Being paper it allows excellent use of the latest postal barcoding services, offering huge savings on your postage bills,’ Bowden explains.

As with most things in life, first impressions count: whether you’re sending out a magazine or a catalogue, mail wrapping is going to be the reader's first experience of your product, so it’s not a decision to be taken lightly. On the plus side, making the switch to sustainable mail packaging is a really great opportunity to build a positive brand image. You can even incorporate your packaging choices into your brand communication - in other words, it’s a simple, yet effective way to boost your eco-credentials.

Bowden has advice for those who are considering the different mail-out packaging options:

Get in touch with Walstead to discuss the mail wrapping options best suited to your needs.

rands and consumers alike continue to demand greener thinking and sustainable options from their suppliers, and the area of magazine/brochure cover finishes is no different. In a world where recycling is paramount, with more than 80% of the

s any business-owner will know, attention to detail is key. For those who work with printed marketing collateral, that means you need to consider both the material you print on as well as the direct mail/magazine/catalogue wrapping materials you use. After all, choosing eco-friendly packaging might be that small detail that helps win over a potential customer. That being said, finding wrapping that ticks all the right boxes can be a challenge.

attention to detail is key. For those who

Bowden has advice for those who are considering the different mail-out packaging options: