The president and chief executive of the Direct Marketing Association, John Greco, told the organisation's conference that it should consider both the physical environment and the environment in which people are bombarded with advertising messages.

"We all need to be aware of and sensitive to the very real and wide-ranging environmental concerns that people have in the area of paper procurement and use", Mr Greco said. "As marketers we all need to work toward building an environment of responsible action and consumer trust."

In May, government announced it wants the Direct Marketing Association to set up an opt-out scheme for unaddressed junk mail and that it is considering introducing a central opt-in scheme for addressed advertisements.