What catalogers are doing to preserve the planet

By: Aaron Dalton Sustainability often presents a quandary for outdoor outfitter Patagonia. On one hand, the company has dedicated itself fully to preserving the planet, its environmental and conservation goals defining everything from its mission statement to its product line. But there’s another type of sustainability that Patagonia officials have to bear in mind that of their own business. So when executives at the company talk about the environmental impact on forests of their successful catalog program, they do so knowing full well that, as much as big businesses may want to help the planet, they sometimes can’t help doing as much harm as good. “We need to be profitable or we will not be sustainable, and the catalog is a successful sales driver for the company,” says Angela Weidmann, Patagonia’s catalog print production manager. “We cannot walk away from producing a catalog, so we strive to lessen the impact by committing to several things.” And Patagonia is not alone in its efforts. From clothing companies to home furnishing manufacturers, retailers are taking a variety of steps to minimize the environmental impact of their catalog operations for the sake of the planet and also to retain the loyalty of the growing ranks of green consumers. (For more information about how direct mailers are “greening” their campaigns, please read “Fit to Print” and “Green Means Grow.”) Take, for instance, outdoor apparel and equipment maker L.L. Bean, which ships 250 million catalogs annually. At L.L. Bean, steps toward sustainability include enforcing a policy that specifies suppliers who are third-party certified by organizations, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), as practicing sustainable forestry. Despite the slight cost increase, L.L. Bean has also begun stepping up the use of recycled content in its catalogs. The company also claims to maintain one of the cleanest mailing lists in the industry, which makes economic and environmental sense. Sending catalogs to people who don’t want or need them wastes paper, production and mailing costs. “Customers have an expectation of companies like ours. We sell outdoor goods and apparel so people can enjoy the outdoors, therefore we feel we have responsibility to maintain and protect the outdoors,” says L.L. Bean spokeswoman Carolyn Beem. “We think our customers are more attuned to issues surrounding paper, catalog production and environmental standards. While there is more than one way to green a business and achieve environmental best practices, most companies should assume that their customers will be paying attention.” Many of the other big-name catalog retailers have taken steps to mitigate the environmental impact of their catalog operations in recent years. Limited Brands, the parent company of Victoria’s Secret, no longer accepts paper sourced from endangered forests of Canada’s Boreal Region. The company has also dedicated $1 million to research and advocacy for the protection of endangered forests. Pages: 1 2

Branded Content, Green Marketing, Large Business