A meeting has been scheduled for July in which the DM industry will attempt to better understand what the scheme, which was hinted at in last week’s government Waste Strategy for England, would entail.

There was fury from DM printers last week following publication of the strategy. Firms in the sector believe that by making consumers opt in to receive unaddressed mailings, the industry would be unable to collect data effectively, which would be “catastrophic” for the sector (PrintWeek, 31 May).

But DMA head of postal affairs Alex Walsh said that it was difficult to know exactly what effect opt-in would have on the industry as details of the scheme are still sketchy.

He said: “There is a lot that needs to be discussed. We will be meeting with the minister in July because, up to now, discussions with the government have suggested self-regulation is sufficient.”

Currently, consumers can opt-out of DM using the Mail Preference Service (MPS). Walsh added that while many people know about MPS, very few actually register.

“Self-regulation is a more effective tool,” said Walsh. “But if the government does an opt-in, we need a reasonable timescale to adapt.”

• The DMA has released the results of an environmental survey that showed 90% of organisations in direct marketing consider the environment “of importance”. It also found that 84% of businesses believe the DMA should take a lead in campaigning on environmental issues.

DMA B2B committee chair Vic Godding said: “Many firms are putting procedures in place to evaluate their supply chains.”

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DMA RESPONSE TO 'OPT-IN'
• Meeting scheduled in July with environment minister Ben Bradshaw
• Against the opt-in plans and believes MPS works
• Claims the impact would be felt by consumers and DMA members
• Royal Mail’s competitive universal service “under threat”