Myth: Printed catalogs have been replaced by the internet. Fact: Catalog positively impact purchasing behavior. A printed catalog motivates online customers to visit retail web site more often, stay longer and spend more money. In fact, households receiving catalogs are twice as likely to make an online purchase (Source: comScore case study - USPS). A perfect example of this is Zappos.com, the online seller of shoes (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/business/media/07zappos.html) sends out printed catalogs to their customers. Aaron Magness, director for brand marketing and business development at Zappos.com in Henderson, Nev. states that lapsed customers have responded very well to the catalogs. Credits: MakingPaperFun.com and ...

Myth:  You can't recycle catalogs, magazines and direct mail. Fact: Most recycling programs accept a variety of materials. Most domestic curbside and drop-off recycling programs accept a variety of materials, including catalogs, magazines, and direct mail.  Over the past 10 years, the recovery rate for standard mail and magazines has doubled to approximately 40% (Source: Municipal Sold Waste Generation. Recycling and Disposal in the United States). Credits: MakingPaperFun.com and Printing Impressions (Dec. 2009).

Myth: A "paperless" office has no environmental footprint. Fact: The environmental footprint of information and communication technologies continues to grow rapidly. Going paperless comes with an environmental cost. Computers, data centers, mobile phones and telecommunication networks are projected to be the largest emitters of greenhouse gases by 2020 (McKinsey & Company). It is unreasonable to compare digital and print media without taking the entire lifecycle of each into account. Each format has a rightful place in the scope of sustainable communications. Credits: MakingPaperFun.com and Printing Impressions (Dec. 2009).

Myth: Using paper destroys forests. Fact: When people uses more paper, suppliers plant more trees. Paper comes from trees. But that doesn't mean that printer who use paper  are helping destroy forests. In fact, the amount of forestland in the United States has been stable for the past 100 years (Source: The State of America's Forests - Society of American Foresters). It is simple: When you use paper made by responsible paper companies, more trees are planted to meet future needs. These companies properly manage forests to provide a balance between protecting the environment and producing valuable products that we all ...