Speech by Tánaiste Mary Coughlan at the launch of the An Post / Irish Direct Marketing Association ‘Six Steps to Reduce your Mailings’ Carbon Footprint’

Liam, Stephen, Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentleman.

I want to sincerely thank both Liam and Stephen and their colleagues in An Post & the Irish Direct Marketing Association for the opportunity to launch this extremely worthwhile and credible initiative.

The ‘Six Steps’ guidelines from the Irish Directing Marketing Association and An Post is a welcome initiative. Both organisations, are demonstrating leadership and responsible practise, investing significant time and resources to improve their environmental performance, and that of their members and subsidiaries.

Ireland’s waste management policy is predicated on the internationally recognised waste hierarchy which favours waste prevention and minimisation followed by re-use and recycling, energy recovery and finally disposal. The slogan Reduce, Reuse, Recycle neatly encapsulates the essential elements of current policy which I might add have been embraced by the wider public in Ireland who have shown themselves to be up their with the best when it comes to recycling. Take a visit to any of the range new recycling centres that have been rolled out in recent years funded by the Environment Fund out of the income receipts from the plastic bag and landfill levies and you will get a clear picture of just how much we have changed our ways; people busily segregating their bottles, cans, newspapers, textiles into the various receptacles provided. People who have integrated the recycling ethic into their normal everyday lives. That in the space of a few years is a formidable achievement and the statistics bear this out: in 1998 we only recycled 9% of our waste; in 2006 this had risen to over 36%. Packaging waste recycling over the same period rose from just under 15% to over 57%.

But there’s a long road ahead; we are still generating too much waste and we are still landfilling an excessive amount.

Working together with industry, we want to see all forms of waste minimised, including that resulting from direct marketing activity. A voluntary approach like today’s initiative allowing the maximum opportunity to develop ways of increasing recycling and reducing waste, which is our collective goal.

This Government is fully committed to a green agenda, as is evidenced by the steps outlined in the Programme for Government. In recent times, the Taoiseach has highlighted how we must harness and at the same time protect the environment by working with all stakeholders. Along with our partners in Government, we have shown our ‘green’ credentials with the rebalancing of VRT and the Motor Tax system to reward the purchase of greener cars.

Though, today is about those working in the Direct Marketing Industry and the business arena taking responsibility and in essence driving change from within. Both An Post and the Irish Direct Marketing Association have recognised what can only be termed a dramatic shift in public opinion and that of those working across the business community. There is now an ever, increasing focus on becoming ‘green’ and this has I believe affected how those in the direct marketing community carry out their daily operations and way of life; indeed being environmentally conscious is increasingly becoming a economic and business imperative.

I firmly believe that what is being launched today’s are not just ‘steps’ but a massive change, with yourselves in the Direct Marketing Industry taking responsibility. You have all taken the lead – resolving to move yourselves – along a continuum of environmental improvement. You have laid down what is a the blueprint for business in this country to adopt, when I am engaging with these various audiences I will be encouraging to follow your lead and implement such changes in their respective business arenas. Today’s launch marks the cornerstone for eco-friendly business practice in Ireland.

The partnership between An Post and the Irish Directing Marketing Association is creating the first environmental standard to reduce the environmental impact of the whole directing marketing industry in Ireland, which shows a strong commitment to change and the guidebook launching today, ‘Six Steps to Reduce your Carbon Mailings’ Footprint’ and the supporting resources of the website, supplier directory and direct mailing campaign to all IDMA members, along with the training provided will spread the message wider. This work demonstrates your collective industry drive to reducing unwanted wastage and future proofing both a prosperous industry and environment.

Not everything has to be done by regulation; an enormous amount can be achieved through partnership or by stakeholders adopting a voluntary approach. It is a strategy for the whole community, including yourselves here today in the direct marketing industry and business as a whole, and not just Government.

This joint initiative between An Post and the Irish Directing Marketing Association – ‘Six Steps to Reduce your Carbon Mailings’ Footprint’ will dispel some of the myths and provide those involved in the industry with tangible advice – enabling you to make the changes and bring benefit to you and your customers. Today is part of a very positive process and this type of activity will definitely have an enduring impact.

You are promoting positive environmental change, your industry is encouraging people to hear, to understand and to respond and I applaud you all for it.

In this spirit of shared enterprise, I am delighted to be launching this initiative – ‘Six Steps to Reducing your Carbon Mailings’ Footprint’.