You’ve seen it — the claims by major corporations, service providers, and government agencies printed on your bills, invoices, and envelopes asking you to “go green” by going paperless. But are these claims true? Does going paperless really help the environment?
Actually, no. By using forest products such as paper and paperboard, businesses help to preserve—not destroy—forestland. This is because 60% of U.S. forestland is privately owned. By creating demand for forest products, private forests become profit generators for their owners, protecting them from being sold off for other uses, the most common of which are agriculture and development. Thus, the opposite of these “go paperless, go green” claims is true. Creating demand for paper products actually protects U.S. forests.
What about all of those claims that forest canopies are being destroyed? By using paper, aren’t we part of the problem? Again, the answer is no. While destruction of old growth forests is occurring elsewhere in the world, this isn’t the case for fiber harvested for paper and other forest products here in the United States. Here, most (if not all) paper companies harvest their wood in a sustainable fashion with no net loss of forestland. In fact, paper companies are replanting trees at a faster pace than they are harvesting them. According to the American Forest and Paper Association (AFPA), 99% of its members use paper from sustainably managed forests.
When you see those statements, “Go Paperless! Go Green!” think twice both as a consumer and as a distributor advising your clients.
Why Do Companies Greenwash?
If claims that “Go Paperless, Go Green!” are false, why do companies make them? Because it saves them money. By encouraging their customers to switch from paper to electronic bills, statements, and other important communications, businesses can cut costs.
The false, misleading claims that going paperless is better for the environment is called “greenwashing,” and it often disguises companies’ cost-cutting efforts.
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Psychological research has shown that when people see and hear unsubstantiated claims over and over again, they start to believe them as true. Two Sides research has revealed that 65% of U.S. consumers who have seen anti-paper greenwashing claims from their service providers are influenced to switch from paper bills and statements to digital versions.
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This is not to say that all companies that are greenwashing are doing it intentionally. “Go paperless, go green!” is used so often that many consumers and businesses just assume it’s true.
For distributors with accounts purchasing printed forms, direct mail, and other printed materials, it’s vitally important to be on the lookout for greenwashing and help to educate them about the truth. There are many market verticals, such as automotive and home services, as well as small businesses in all verticals, that still order high volumes of printed forms, as well as other paper-based products such as direct mail, marketing collateral, and signage.
Your customers need to know that, not only can they feel good about continuing to use paper-based products, but they should!
Resources for Client Education
Where can you go for resources? You can start with Two Sides North America, which offers a wealth of easily accessible resources, including informational podcasts and downloadable fact sheets. Everything you need to start educating your customers about greenwashing is easily accessible from Two Sides’ online resource library.
Two Sides is also actively working to reduce greenwashing. It challenges greenwashing companies and other organizations to remove unsubstantiated environmental claims in a non-confrontational way, educating CEOs and other senior management with facts from credible, third-party sources that clearly demonstrate the unique sustainability characteristics of paper products and the solid and continually improving environmental record of the North American paper industry.
These efforts are working. Over the years, Two Sides has persuaded nearly 200 major organizations to remove anti-paper environmental claims and eliminated billions of instances of anti-paper greenwashing. In doing so, it has preserved more than $300 million in annual revenue for the paper, printing and mailing sector and protected nearly 7 million jobs.
“North American paper is made from an infinitely renewable natural resource – trees that are purpose-grown, harvested and regrown in sustainably managed forests,” says Two Side North America President Kathi Rowzie. “It’s manufactured using mostly renewable, carbon neutral bioenergy in a process that uses water, but in reality consumes very little of it. Paper products are recycled more than any other material, but many consumers believe paper is bad for the environment because corporations and other organizations they trust are telling them so. Two Sides is working hard to change that.”
Making a Difference
So far this year alone, Two Sides has worked to convince seven additional companies representing 40 million customers to remove “go green, go paperless,” “go paperless, protect the environment,” and similar claims from their marketing communications.
As rising inflationary pressures drive cost cutting, however, greenwashing is on the rise. To help reverse this trend, Two Sides is asking for your help. Educate your customers about the realities of greenwashing, and if you see instances of anti-paper greenwashing, please send them in a PDF, JPG, or link to .
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