The British Coatings Federation (BCF) has joined the Keep Me Posted campaign. Keep Me Posted advocates for the consumer’s right to choose how they receive their bills and statements, without being penalized with extra charges.

The campaign was borne as a result of businesses and governmental bodies increasingly restricting the use of paper statements opting instead for electronic ones and charging for printed options. These changes are adversely affecting vulnerable groups including the elderly, those with low incomes and some five million people who have never used the internet.

The BCF joins the campaign as a partner alongside other UK trade associations, charities and businesses. The organization is calling on businesses to protect their customers’ by offering choice in how they are communicated with and refraining from penalising them for choosing printed communications.

Tom Bowtell, chief executive of the BCF said: ‘The move toward electronic billing excludes certain members of society and often consumers aren’t given the choice when it comes to how they’d like to receive their valuable information and penalised for preferring printed statements. As the trade association representing the printing inks industry, we understand the value in print and are happy to support the Keep Me Posted campaign which promotes such a strong message about printed communication.’

Judith Donovan CBE, chair of the Keep Me Posted campaign commented: ‘It’s great to have BCF on board. The more we broaden our coalition of support, the more chance we have of convincing politicians to take action.’