Earth Class Mail has closed $13.3 million in Series A funding, according to CNET. Ignition Partners of Bellevue, Washington, led the round, and more than half of the money was raised by Keiretsu Forum.Earth Class Mail customers have their mail sent to the company rather than a personal address. Then letter openers, staffed with disabled veterans with Department of Defense security clearance, scan the envelopes and upload images to the Web. Customers then decide which items to have opened and read, recycled, or forwarded.
Earth Class Mail’s users recycle 90 percent of mail received, whereas only 20 percent of mail delivered to someone’s door gets recycled. With the new funding, the company plans to open a chain of retail stores, beginning in Manhattan early this year.
One recent study revealed that many consumers think direct mail accounts for more waste than is actually the case.
ViaPost, which plans to launch soon in the UK, claims to cut carbon emissions from postal deliveries by 20-25 percent.
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