The motz of Butz: The shit on the paper waste
Fifty years ago, each person used 100 kg of paper per year. Today, that figure is more than double. And this is in a completely digital world.
What this is about is that we use too much paper. As a result, we are cutting down the forests. Greenpeace talks about 5.5 trees per person in 2003. You can also read about the environmental damage caused by paper production at Greenpeace under "Chlorine". Since 2008, we have been using less graphic paper in Switzerland, but this still amounts to more than 500,000 tons. However, we now consume more paper for printed matter than in 2008 with imported printed paper, i.e. printed matter produced abroad. This amounts to more than half of the total amount of printed matter (258 322 tons). As an idea: 6458 trucks of 40 tons each.
Up to here, most respondents argue, "Yes, it's a problem. We should squander less paper and, above all, have less produced abroad."
And now my real gripe begins: We print 80 percent of our flyers, brochures, catalogs, direct mails, etc., not only 50 percent abroad, but also 100 percent in a way that makes no sense. My theory: I don't believe that 10 percent of the addressees pay attention to such printed matter. Sandro Galli from the company Propaganda Zurich said himself that at least 90 percent of the recipients of advertisements throw them unread into the garbage. In Zurich, "Stop Advertising" stickers on every second mailbox are supposed to advise against pocketing such a moronically printed paper.
In a previous issue, I talked about this saddle stitcher "In" and mentioned its great advantages of being able to throw away the whole pile of paper already pre-bundled. Some very clever ones sneak onto my desk by means of bound inserts via the magazine through the mailbox. This is what I saw in Weltwoche No. 9, starting on page 35. The thing is called "Fokus Wohnen" (Focus on Living), and it is immediately obvious that it is a surreptitious advertisement. But it's not quite as bad as the 28-page Aldi Week I'm looking at.
It always gives me trouble to believe that this kind of advertising has the desired effect. If I have understood correctly, such a 28-page Aldi spin-off brochure is published every week, with an estimated print run of 1 million copies in three languages. If we calculate 50 centimes per copy for printing, distribution, etc., this amounts to 12.5 million Swiss francs for half a year. This means that for the 28-page Aldi Week times 1 million circulation times 25 weeks times 40 g = 1000 tons of ugly printed and unnoticed paper is wasted. I am of the opinion that one could generate advertising with so much money, which could be noticed by the public and even lure me with sympathy and taste into an Aldi branch.
Take a look at one of these weekly specials: Typography: zero. Texts: zero. Logistics: zero. Emotionality: zero and photography: sub-zero. The only acceptable thing is that it says "Printed in Switzerland". My display of the week: the Trämli creatively painted and decorated by the big watch manufacturers during BaselWorld.
Theophil Butz, graphic designer, advertising agency owner, inspirer and, for more than four years now, mothballs for Werbewoche readers. Please send any relevant information to [email protected].
