I noticed that you are moving towards online interactive catalogs. Why is ETC doing this?

That is correct. ETC is making the move towards online interactive catalogs and by December 2010 we will be publishing our catalogs exclusively online. Since the beginning of the company, ETC has been making every effort to be "green". We were the first company who used inks that did not contain V.O.C. We were also the first company to use paper that contained a minimum of 30% PCW and was FSC certified.  With this in mind, most magazines are printed on coated, ground wood paper, which is the same kind of paper used for newspapers. The most common coating is clay. Clay smoothes the paper's surface and creates an optimum surface to which glossy inks can adhere. A two-sided coated paper sheet in a magazine normally will have 30 percent to 35 percent clay and filler, and 65 percent to 70 percent paper fiber content.

In 1998, approximately 66 billion magazines were distributed in the United States. Of these, approximately 66 percent went to subscribers, 17 percent were sold as single-issue sales and 15 percent were returned as unsold. Almost half of the single-issue sales occur in grocery stores.

Catalogs also are printed primarily on coated, ground wood paper. Most catalogs are distributed through the mail. Fourteen billion catalogs were mailed in 1998. More recent data is not available. U.S. EPA data for magazines does not include catalogs.

The average person uses 16.7 lb of magazines per year. This doesn't include catalogs.

Of those magazines only 470,000 tons are recycled.

Using recycled paper to create catalogs is a difficult process. The coated papers that are used for printing catalogs are manufactured in a very exacting process in which a thin coating is placed on the fiber base. Many catalogs today are not printed on recycled paper. Magazines and catalogs can be composted if shredded properly. But, the clay coating will resist composting. Burning coated paper creates more ash than burning other types of paper.

Online magazines, on the other hand, do not require paper. Currently trends in consumer purchasing habits are leading to increased production and distribution of catalogs. However, online shopping does not require printed catalogs. ETC is committed to minimizing the impact that the printing business has on the environment.