More than eight in 10 (81%) US adults say they would be willing to “opt-in” to receive the white-pages phone book after being told about the estimated environmental and financial impact of mandatory delivery in the US, according to online and mobile directory company WhitePages.

The survey of nearly 1,000 US adults was undertaken in conjunction with a campaign to educate consumers about the negative environmental effects of the phone-books, which US law currently requires be delivered to all telephone landline subscribers.

Not surprisingly, WhitePages suggests that online directory services are more cost efficient and environmentally friendly than the paper-based books.

“Opt-in” is defined as receiving a white pages phone book only if a person requests one.

Additional survey findings:

• Only 15.9% of respondents say they currently recycle their white-pages phone books, a figure that tracks with the less than 20% estimated by WhitePages. The rest, the company said, end up incinerated or in landfills.
• 74.3%  say they didn’t know that an estimated five million trees - a figure WhitePages suggested in the survey - need to be cut down per year to publish white pages phone books.
• Prior to being told about the estimated environmental damage, 48.9% indicated they would support opt-in programs.
• After learning about the potential impact, an additional 32.1% of respondents said they would support an “opt-in” program, with a final total 81% of US adults saying they would support it.

“The web challenges the status quo and calls for a new way of thinking about how we can minimize our carbon footprint on this planet by using tangible and compelling online options,” said Alex Algard, president & CEO at WhitePages. “As consumers become aware of the environmental issues with printing white pages phone books, they want to help put an end to the mass printing and distribution of the 131-year-old practice.”

WhitePages suggests that if every US household stopped receiving the white pages phone book, millions of trees - and up to $17 million in taxpayer funded recycling fees -  would be saved every year.

Other recent studies have shown that consumers are increasingly considering the environment when making product choices.  IRI found that some consideration is given to sustainability when choosing CPG products, even though another study by Ipsos found that environmental support is often trumped by convenience.

Educating consumers about environmentally friendly choices also appears to be a growing imperative.  Research from Generate Insight found that younger members of the Millennial generation are not taking action on what they know because they are often confused about green products and feel powerless to help.

Print publishers of newspapers and magazines are also  turning to mobile and web delivery, which, in the long term, could eventually reduce the amount of paper waste generated by the publishing industry.

About the survey: The survey was conducted specifically to gauge consumer perceptions about white pages directories.  No corresponding data was  collected in relation to Yellow Pages books, which contain advertising.