Sustainable Mail will be launched next month and is aimed at increasing the use of environmentally friendly materials in mailings.

Antalis environment manager Matthew Botfield said that the Royal Mail project was a great idea for the industry.

"A discount of up to 4.7% can be saved on the cost of postage when using an online business account," he said.

"Qualification for the discount means that only paper products from measurable sustainable sources can be used."

Mail products must be approved by Central Point of Expertise in Timber and be fully recyclable. They must be produced using non-chlorinating bleaching methods and sourced from mills that operate an environmental management system.

The cost reduction available for Sustainable Mail with Mailsort 120 or 700 is 2% for entry level or 4.7% for intermediate level.

This percentage reduction is applied to the Mailsort price after all the normal Mailsort and volume-related discounts have been applied.

At entry level for Mailsort 1400, the reductions range from 2% to 1.05%, depending on item format and whether there is direct or residue selection, and for intermediate level they range from 4.7% to 2.55%.

Antalis' information booklet outlines which products comply with the paper and envelope requirements.

Also see:
Royal Mail site to offer DM advice