The design of your direct mail campaign is vital to its success.
Sustainability conversations are becoming increasingly important across every industry.
Customers, suppliers and procurement teams are no longer looking for broad environmental statements alone. They want evidence, transparency and measurable progress.
For businesses operating within print, fulfilment and direct mail, that means understanding where environmental impact exists across operations and supply chains and identifying practical ways to reduce it.
At MAMs, our latest Net Zero reporting has provided valuable insight into exactly that.
The report outlines our current emissions profile, identifies key operational impact areas and sets out long-term reduction targets aligned to science-based frameworks. More importantly, it reinforces a key message that many industries are now recognising:
Sustainability is not a single initiative.
It is an ongoing process of operational improvement, supply chain collaboration and smarter decision-making.
MAMs is working alongside Flotilla to better understand, measure and reduce the environmental impact of our operations. Through detailed carbon reporting and emissions analysis, Flotilla is helping us gain greater visibility across our business and supply chain, supporting our long term commitment towards more sustainable operations and our journey to Net Zero.
Understanding Where Emissions Come From
One of the biggest findings within the report was the scale of indirect emissions across the supply chain.
Scope 3 emissions accounted for 93% of MAMs’ total footprint, with postage representing the largest individual contributor.
This highlights an important reality for businesses involved in customer communications and distribution:
Environmental impact often extends far beyond the immediate production environment.
Transport networks, supplier activity, energy usage and logistics all contribute significantly to overall emissions.
Understanding these areas allows businesses to make more informed operational decisions and build more meaningful sustainability strategies.
Why Data Matters
The report also highlighted the importance of improving data quality and visibility across operations.
Good sustainability reporting is not simply about publishing numbers.
It is about understanding operational patterns, identifying hotspots and creating realistic action plans for improvement.
For MAMs, this includes:
- Improving visibility across logistics and transport data
- Enhancing supplier engagement
- Monitoring energy usage more accurately
- Supporting operational efficiency improvements
- Continuing to develop sustainable fulfilment solutions
This level of insight allows businesses to move beyond generic sustainability messaging and focus on measurable progress.
Sustainability and Operational Efficiency
One of the strongest themes throughout the report is that sustainability improvements and operational efficiency often go hand in hand.
Reducing unnecessary waste, improving routing, investing in energy efficiency and streamlining processes can all contribute towards both environmental improvements and long-term business resilience.
The report identified several planned actions, including:
- Transitioning towards renewable energy
- Converting lighting to LED
- Exploring lower-carbon transport solutions
- Improving waste and recycling processes
- Engaging suppliers on decarbonisation initiatives
These are practical operational improvements designed to support long-term progress rather than short-term environmental claims.
The Role of Paper Wrap and Smarter Mail
As part of the wider sustainability conversation, mailing formats themselves continue to evolve.
Paper wrap solutions are becoming increasingly popular as businesses look to reduce plastic usage while maintaining presentation quality, postal compatibility and campaign effectiveness.
Combined with smarter targeting, personalisation and production efficiencies, modern direct mail can play an important role within more sustainable communication strategies.
The focus is no longer simply on “print versus digital”.
It is about improving efficiency, reducing unnecessary waste and making smarter choices across every communication channel.
Looking Ahead
MAMs has committed to long-term emissions reduction targets, including a projected 52% reduction in emissions by 2031 and a wider Net Zero ambition by 2050.
Achieving those goals will require continuous improvement across operations, technology, supplier relationships and data management.
But meaningful sustainability progress is rarely achieved through one major change.
It comes from consistently making better decisions across every part of the business.
For the direct mail and fulfilment industry, the future of sustainability will be shaped not only by materials, but by operational transparency, supply chain collaboration and smarter communication strategies.
At MAMs, that journey is already underway.
