Magazine paper wrapping and magazine paper banding are two practises that are gaining ground. Several news sources report on the initiatives of eliminating single-use plastics by the major publisher UK News. By the end of 2020, UK News will have removed plastic wrapping for all their magazine titles. By replacing plastic wrapping with paper bands they will eliminate 250 tonnes of plastic consumption.
For The Times and The Sunday Times, they have already removed all plastic outer polybagging since June 2019. In October 2019, The Sun TV Mag removed the inner plastic polybagging from the UK and Irish editions, reducing plastic usage by 350 tonnes yearly.
Retailers and readers respond positively
“Retailers and readers have responded overwhelmingly positively to our plastics pledge and this latest paper band innovation is an industry-leading effort,” said News UK retail director, Neil Spencer, to ShelfLife Magazine.
They even provided a dedicated email address for giving feedback on the new paper banding, which makes it easy for the publisher to really understand the thoughts of the users. This way they know the response is good.
Neil Spencer also mentions the importance of sourcing paper from sustainable forest management systems. The general manager of News UK, Michael Brunt adds in the interview:
“It may not be top of the news agenda at the moment, but environmental sustainability remains an incredibly important issue and one we are proud to champion both in our titles and our supply chain.”
Sources: ShelfLife and Talking Retail.