Two Sides’ global anti-greenwash campaign making a huge impact

At the annual meeting of Two Sides Country Managers in London, England on October 31, 2016, representatives from Europe, North America, South America, South Africa and Australia renewed efforts to stop organizations from using anti-print and anti-paper messages in their marketing. Claims like, ‘go paperless, go green’ and ‘go paperless, save trees’, are commonplace as major corporations promote electronic services and products to reduce costs. However, such claims are not backed up by any analysis, said Two Sides. “They ignore the unique, sustainable features of print and paper, and they don’t consider the fact that all communication channels have an environmental impact,” the organization added.
In a joint statement, Two Sides Country Managers said: “Our global anti-greenwash campaign, targeted at major banks, utilities, telecoms and other Fortune 500 companies, has investigated nearly 500 organizations worldwide. Of these, 63% have been found to be using greenwashing in their marketing, usually in breach of local regulations. After being challenged by Two Sides, 70% have voluntarily amended their messaging – a great success story! We intend to carry on this important work, which, if left unchallenged, would leave millions of consumers believing that the use of paper is environmentally unfriendly. The reality is that paper is produced by a highly responsible industry which manages forests for the benefit of future generations.”
Two Sides is supported by leading companies and associations worldwide, spanning the graphic communications value chain – and covering industry associations, inks and chemicals, envelopes and mail, merchants, print equipment, printers, converters, and pulp and paper producers. The organization is an independent, non-profit entity created to promote the responsible production, use and sustainability of print and paper. It’s active globally in North America, Europe, Australia, South Africa, Brazil and Colombia. Its members span the entire print and paper value chain – including forestry, pulp, paper, inks and chemicals, pre-press, press, finishing, publishing, printing, envelopes and postal operators. Its common goal is to promote the sustainability of the graphic communications industry and dispel common environmental misconceptions by providing users with verifiable information on why print and paper can be an attractive, practical and sustainable communications medium.