Since Thinkbutton went live on the World Wide Web in 2001, catalog requests have been a constant. This is no surprise as we understand the consumer's need to thumb through a product catalog in search of ideas and inspiration. However, printing and distributing a catalog seems to undermine the most earth-friendly benefits of browsing on-line: a paper and fuel free shopping experience. Do we dare compromise our company philosophy for more orders?
Two million tons of waste is generated, each year in the US, by junk mail such as catalogs, advertisements and sweepstake drawings. The Portland, OR metro area alone sends 13,000 tons of magazines and catalogs to the landfill. That’s a stack 59 miles high, the equivalent of 28 Mt. Hoods. However, like many large cities, Portland city officials recognize the problem and have brought awareness to the situation by generating campaigns that emphasize the recycling of unwanted mail.
As an individual you can make a difference as well. In 2006, Americans recycled and recovered 53.5 million tons of the paper, averaging 360 pounds per person, according to the American Forest & Products Association (AF & PA). Although this number seems impressive, 35.7 million tons of paper still filled landfills in the same year. So, there is room for improvement. Please remember to recycle your catalogs and other paper products; and, if your recycling bins are filling up faster than you would like, sign up to receive sales information electronically. Most companies will gladly accommodate your request as it saves them time and money. Also, there are ways to prevent junk mail all together. A quick search on the Internet will provide countless ways and opportunities to put a stop to unwanted mail.
Team Thinkbutton is not criticizing companies that promote their business via the post office. Many of them are making great strides to print on recycled paper with earth-friendly inks. We know this process is not the most cost-effective approach and we commend those companies who are striving to make a difference. However, we do not want a Thinkbutton catalog cluttering recycling bins, or worse, adding to landfill heaps. As with most companies, we would like to think that our catalog would be one consumers would retain and maybe even display on their coffee table; but, we know better.
So, for now, we will continue to work hard to make shopping one-line at Thinkbutton as informative, safe, and pleasurable as possible. We hope our videos are helping and we are open to and appreciate any suggestions. Remember - reduce, reuse, recycle!
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