Award-Winning Sustainable Catalogue Transformation with YPO

Client

YPO

Services

Mail

Sectors

Education

YPO and Webmart crew with SMP Gold award for Sustainability

Overview

YPO is the UK’s leading education supplier; providing products, procurement frameworks and expertise to the public sector for over 50 years. Publicly owned by 13 local authorities, YPO supports schools, local authorities, emergency services, charities, nurseries, care homes and other organisations across the UK.

With an online store, targeted catalogue campaigns and a strong presence at industry events, YPO operates across both digital and physical channels. They offer around 23,000 products and more than 100 compliant frameworks, helping public sector organisations achieve best value while keeping procurement simple and stress-free.

We began working with YPO in 2002, and over the years the relationship has grown to include a wide range of services – from flyers, postcards and letters to catalogues, catalogue mailers, gift boxes, merchandise and display materials.

The Challenge

YPO is in a period of transition, driven by increasing demand for digital services and ambitious net-zero goals. While reducing carbon impact through digital transformation was a key priority, research showed that customers still highly value printed catalogues as part of their buying journey.

The challenge was to rethink catalogue production in a way that:

•Reduced environmental impact and costs

•Reflected changing customer behaviour

•Maintained a positive and familiar customer experience

•Improved efficiency and flexibility in fulfilment and distribution

YPO needed a solution that balanced sustainability with practicality – without disrupting how customers select and purchase products.

Webmart and YPO created an award wining bunch of sustainable catalogues

The Solution

We worked closely with YPO to review their catalogue strategy, using customer insight and campaign objectives to guide every decision. Together, we developed a revised approach that focused on:

1.Reducing page counts through more considered product selection

2.Moving to one catalogue per customer instead of multiple versions

3.Switching from web offset to sheetfed print for greater efficiency

4.Introducing automated paper wrapping and fulfilment

5.Replacing boxed courier deliveries with single-catalogue mailings

6.Using printed paper wraps to carry campaign messaging and boost brand visibility

7.Offsetting carbon across print, fulfilment and distribution

We presented multiple pricing scenarios to YPO’s marketing team, clearly outlining cost efficiencies alongside carbon offset data to support informed decision-making. All catalogues were printed on FSC-certified paper and distributed using our Enviromail service, with 100% recyclable paper wraps.

Award winning brochures and catalogues for YPO

The Results

The revised catalogue strategy delivered significant environmental and operational benefits while increasing customer reach.

And because the project was such an outstanding success in terms sustainability, the project also won Gold at the 2025 SMP Awards in the Sustainability category.

67% PRINT REDUCTION

Printed pages reduced by 37.2 million (a 67% reduction year on year)

26% FULFILMENT REDUCTION

Catalogues fulfilled reduced by 18.9k (a 26% reduction)

16.5K MORE packs with customers

Mailing volumes increased by 16.5k packs with a separate mailing of the furniture catalogue creating an additional customer touchpoint

103 TONNES OF CO₂e OFFSET

103t of CO₂e offset during the 2025 campaign using Gold Standard accredited schemes (compared to 2024 campaign emissions)

Ongoing partnership

We’re delighted to say that because of their success, the projects are ongoing. Excess catalogues are held for call-off, fulfilled and mailed daily based on customer demand. Stock levels are actively monitored to trigger reprints or artwork updates when required.

Following the success of this project, we continue to support YPO across additional campaigns and remain a preferred supplier, helping them balance sustainability, efficiency and customer needs as their transformation continues.

“The team at Webmart has been fantastic in helping YPO to transform catalogue production and distribution.

Catalogues remain a viable marketing channel for YPO as they are still very much part of our customers’ buying journey, so the decision to switch from multi-box catalogues to single, branded, paper wrapped catalogues has been a game changer.

Not only did Webmart help us to provide our customers with a much better product, but they also helped us to make cost, efficiency and environmental savings.

The transformation project wasn’t about cutting back, it was about refining what mattered and delivering catalogues in a smarter, more sustainable way.”

Graham Nicholson, Marketing Production Manager