More and more businesses are concerned with the environmental impact of their marketing choices. Not only do they want to do their bit to save the planet, but it can also be a relevant part of the marketing itself. How environmentally friendly a company is perceived to be is a factor in whether a consumer will choose to buy from that company.
We admit that leaflet distribution does not currently have the most stellar reputation in this regard. People see paper come through the door and assume that we’re cutting down swathes of the Brazilian rainforest for every leaflet.
But that reputation is starting to change, and we would argue for good reason. When you start to dive into the facts, print is not only a sustainable marketing choice but also a more environmentally friendly option than its competitors. And the public is starting to wake up to this fact.
Print, the Sustainable Choice
Far from being a negative for the environment, print is leading the pack in decarbonisation and is increasingly recognised as a uniquely sustainable form of marketing.
Over 70% of the paper used in the UK comes from sustainable forests. These are forests that experts manage to ensure that trees are harvested and replanted in a way that maintains biodiversity, protects the habitat of local wildlife, and maintains the forest’s utility as a carbon sink. Rather than contributing to deforestation, the way the paper industry in the UK and Europe works with sustainable forestry helps ensure this beautiful natural resource is maintained for future generations to enjoy.
Paper is also uniquely renewable. According to research done by JICMAIL, the recycling rate for mail currently stands at 88%, the highest ever recorded. And much of that recycled paper goes towards making new leaflets, 70% of the paper used to print leaflets is recycled.
Also, European paper mills have been leaders when it comes to embracing decarbonisation, switching to using renewable, low carbon energy far faster than comparable industries. For this the paper industry has been recognised by the EU as a net positive in the EU’s push towards a climate-friendly, sustainable industrial policy.
To quote Marco Eikelenboom, Chair of the Confederation of European Paper Industries, “We’re no longer seen as part of the problem, but as part of the solution. For advertisers and brand owners, that changes the narrative around print from legacy liability to climate-aligned opportunity”
The True Carbon Cost of Digital Advertising
Over the last couple of years, since the proliferation of Large Language Models marketed as AI, news headlines have been filled with apocalyptic warnings of the environmental damage caused by using AI. Warnings that are sadly true.
In a single day in 2025, just ChatGPT alone consumed more energy than it takes to charge 8 million smartphones. In a single month, ChatGPT consumed more energy than it would take to power every billboard in Times Square for 20 years. In a single year, ChatGPT consumed more energy than 117 countries combined. These figures are only set to rise. All of this electricity requires burning fossil fuels, contributing to climate change and skyrocketing energy bills for ordinary people.
According to research commissioned by the UK government, the use of AI will increase global water usage by between 1.1 and 6.6 billion cubic metres by 2027, leading to global water insecurity and possible conflict over scarce water resources.
The use of AI has, by itself, wiped out the gains made since the signing of the 1997 Kyoto Agreement, putting Earth back on the course towards climate catastrophe.
But why are we talking so much about AI? Because AI has drawn the public’s attention to the true carbon cost of our digital existence.
We are now more aware than ever of the power and water costs of every part of our digital lives. Though not to the same degree, it’s not just AI that relies on power and water-guzzling server farms, but everything we do online. The public no longer sees an ad online and assumes that ad is carbon neutral. Instead, they are increasingly thinking about the environmental damage, power and water cost of creating and showing that ad. Particularly if that ad was made using AI.
In contrast, receiving a leaflet can seem like a breath of fresh air. An ad created and delivered outside of that system of catastrophic power and water consumption.
Print Offers Sustainability and Function
How environmentally friendly leaflet distribution is compared to competing marketing channels shouldn’t just be measured in the carbon cost of the total number of leaflets printed versus the total number of times a digital advertisement is shown.
Instead, a better way to quantify how sustainable leaflet distribution is would be the carbon cost per impression.
Due to the high degree of digital ads that are shown to bots or are simply scrolled past it is currently estimated that only 17% of digital ads are shown to a real human being. Contrast this with door drops, where an average of 95% of leaflets dropped through the door are seen by a real person.
Leaflet distribution is also more likely than any other form of advertising to push people towards taking an action. An incredible 67% of people have made a purchase based on a leaflet they received through the door and 88% of businesses saw an increase in sales after dropping leaflets.
The effectiveness of leaflet distribution not only benefits your business but also contributes to its sustainability. The carbon cost per impression and action is much lower for door drops compared with other forms of advertising.
Embrace The Future of Low-Carbon Advertising
In the past, leaflets may not have had the best reputation when it came to sustainability.
But this is rapidly changing in a world where the public is becoming more and more aware of the carbon cost of doing anything online, while the leaflet industry has rushed to embrace sustainable practices like decarbonisation, using recycled paper and paper sourced from sustainable forests.
Surveys of public opinion are already showing perceptions switch, and now leaflet distribution is seen as one of the more environmentally friendly forms of marketing.
As a responsible business owner concerned about the environmental impact of running your business, leaflet distribution offers a responsible and effective choice for your marketing.
See what leaflet distribution can do to help you build a sustainable business and bring in new customers by getting a quote today.
