Yellow Pages Industry Recognizes 'America Recycles Day' with Sustainability Commitment and Consumer Choice

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J., Nov. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of America Recycles Day, the Local Search Association has joined with Keep America Beautiful (KAB) to strengthen its commitment to "Reduce" and "Recycle" – important tenets of the Yellow Pages industry's sustainability program. Since launching its sustainability program, the industry has improved delivery choice options for consumers, increased recycling rates and reduced paper usage.

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Many consumers rely on print Yellow Pages to make purchases that support local businesses and the local economy, and others prefer to use the increasing number of digital and mobile solutions offered by Association members. To provide those who prefer to do their research online, the Association and its members are actively educating consumers about how they can easily stop or limit phone book delivery to their homes through a few clicks at www.YellowPagesOptOut.com. The website offers a single location to select which phone directories they receive or to stop directory delivery altogether.

"Keep America Beautiful and consumers across the country are always looking for simple steps they can take to help protect our environment," said Becky Lyons, chief operating officer at KAB. "We encourage everyone to recycle their outdated phone directories or opt out of delivery if they prefer to search online. The website at www.YellowPagesOptOut.com is a simple solution."

The Association will be attending the Keep America Beautiful 58th National Conference on November 30 – December 2, 2011, in New Orleans. Association members AT&T Advertising Solutions, Dex One and Yellowbook will meet with Keep America Beautiful affiliate communities as part of the Association's Conference Collaborative, an initiative to unite member companies at key environmental and government conferences.

Yellow Pages Highlights Sustainable Outcomes

• Yellow Pages publishers have made substantial reductions in paper usage. Paper suppliers project the industry will use 50 percent less paper by the end of 2012 than they did at its peak usage in 2007.
  • This decrease has been driven by changes in the size of directories, more efficient manufacturing, an industry-sponsored effort to reduce printed residential white pages, a general decline in the number of directories distributed, and the Consumer Choice website.
• According to the latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Municipal Solid Waste report, directories are the smallest contributor of paper and paperboard products to the solid waste stream, representing only 0.3 percent -- significantly less than all other paper product categories, including newspapers (3.2 percent), office paper (2.2 percent) and standard mail (1.9 percent).
• Directory recycling rates increased 15.5 percent over last year through recycling programs, according to the latest EPA data.
• The industry continues to print on paper that is manufactured from a combination of recycled paper waste and leftover scraps of sawdust and woodchips from lumber production processes whenever available. Publishers have also turned to soy-based and non-toxic inks, glues and dyes used in printing and production processes.

"YellowPagesOptOut.com and our sustainability programs are supported by directory publishers across the country and illustrate our ongoing commitment to not delivering a directory to people who prefer not to receive one," said Neg Norton, president of the Local Search Association. "We look forward to working with Keep America Beautiful to help spread awareness and to develop other source reduction ideas."

Easy Interface Gives Consumers Greater, More Reliable Choice

Providing consumers with options about how they search for local businesses and the directories delivered to their homes is the primary goal of the industry's consumer choice initiative. The www.YellowPagesOptOut.com website offers:

• An easy way for consumers to stop the delivery of one, several or all directories to their homes.
• Images of directory covers and delivery schedules, making it easy for consumers to identify which directories to include in their opt-out request.
• Email confirmation to confirm participants' selections.
• Complete privacy as consumers' personal information is used for the sole purpose of optimizing their Yellow Pages experience and will never be sold to third parties.

This centralized website, a collaboration between the Local Search Association and the Association of Directory Publishers, is a significant industry effort that includes participation of publishers around the country to make sure that delivery requests are honored and updated on a timely basis.

Providing Valuable & Sustainable Local Search Options

Approximately three million small businesses nationally advertise in the Yellow Pages and research from Burke shows that more than 7 out of 10 U.S. adults use print Yellow Pages to find a local business.

"Consumers continue turning to print Yellow Pages to find local businesses, driving valuable new leads for our advertisers. The directories also provide frequently used community and government information," said Norton. "Print directories remain a central component of our industry's growing portfolio, which today includes digital, social and mobile platforms. We're constantly working to transform and innovate so that we can continue supporting local businesses and consumers in the most environmentally friendly way."

To read the full Local Search Association 2011 Sustainability Report, please visit: www.localsearchassociation.org.

About the Local Search Association

Formerly the Yellow Pages Association, the Local Search Association (www.localsearchassociation.org) is the largest trade organization of print, digital, mobile and social media that help local businesses get found and selected by ready-to-buy consumers.  Association members include U.S. and international Yellow Pages companies, search engine marketers, online listings and review sites, digital advertising agencies and mobile search providers. The Association has members in 29 countries.

Read the Local Search Association blog at www.localsearchinsider.com and follow @LocalSearchAssn on Twitter. To learn more about Yellow Pages advertising, visit www.buyyellow.com. To choose which phone books you receive or stop delivery of all directories, visit www.YellowPagesOptOut.com.

The Association of Directory Publishers is a Massachusetts not-for-profit corporation.

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of over 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community's environment. To learn more, visit www.kab.org.

About America Recycles Day

America Recycles Day is a national program of Keep America Beautiful, and is the only nationally recognized day and community-driven awareness event dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the U.S.  Since its inception in 1997, communities across the country have participated in America Recycles Day on November 15 to educate, promote environmental citizenship, and encourage action. Learn more at http://americarecyclesday.org/.

CONTACT:
Sophia Hitti
Fleishman-Hillard
212-453-2159
sophia.hitti@fleishman.com

SOURCE Local Search Association