Cheap flyers 'are a powerful communication and sales tool'

Direct mail, including cheap flyers, is being championed by a new campaign.

Cheap flyers and other printed promotional materials are being championed by a new US campaign.

The Choose Print scheme aims to raise awareness of the medium as a recyclable, sustainable and effective marketing channel.

According to the project - which is sponsored by the Printing Industries Association of Southern California (PIASC) - direct mail "has enormous power to communicate ideas and drive sales".

Bob Lindgren, president of the PIASC, said many people have misconceptions about the environmental impact of paper materials.

But in fact, the majority of fibres used to produce paper come from woodchips and recycled goods, while the rest is obtained from sustainable forests, he explained.

"The demand for print actually gives landowners a strong financial incentive to plant more trees rather than sell their land for development," Mr Lindgren added.

Flyer printers keen to reduce their carbon footprint may also be interested in recent comments from Louise Jennings, a spokeswoman for Renewable UK, who stated private and public funding in renewable resources is crucial if Britain is to meet its targets in this respect.