It’s been another hugely positive year on the environmental front, with the annual national newsprint recycling survey (audited by RPS) showing an all-time high recycling rate of 80.22%.

It’s the first time that our newsprint recycling rate has passed the 80% mark, and means that the volume of Irish newsprint being recycled has more than TREBLED in less than a decade.

Well done to all concerned – publishers, retailers and distributors in particular.

The achievements of the Irish press industry were acknowledged by the European Recovered Paper Council this year, who awarded a commendation to the Green Press Partnership (GPP) as part of the 2011 European Paper Recycling Awards.

The GPP, which represents a group of six newspaper and magazine bodies, including National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI), was formed to reduce waste and increase efficiency in Ireland’s newsprint supply chain.

The 2011 survey also showed that more than 72,000 tonnes of newsprint had been taken off the ROI market in the past two years. This reduction represents a shrinkage of one-third of all newsprint going to market.

Newspaper Recycling “In Good Hands”

Buoyed by the good news contained in the RPS survey, we immediately devised a press ad campaign to highlight the progress made in this important area.

Conscious of the collaborative effort behind such an excellent result, we made a point of thanking all stakeholders for their contribution – retailers, distributors, wholesalers, local authorities and of course all the loyal NNI readers in whose good hands our products continue to be read – and recycled.

Waste Policy Submission

In response to a Department of the Environment waste policy discussion document earlier in the year, NNI, through the Green Press Partnership (GPP), compiled a list of the many environmental achievements and initiatives spearheaded by our industry.

In essence, as our response pointed out, we have implemented all the working components of a self-regulatory PRI (Producer Responsibility Initiative) – and the results have been excellent.

On The European Front

The European Commission is keen to introduce Ecolabel for both newsprint and printed editions with a view towards April 2012 as the proposed date for entry into force.

ENPA’s position is that newsprint and printed newspapers should be outside the scope of the Ecolabel. Readers’ purchases are based on the content of newspapers, not on the paper. ENPA (European Newspaper Publishers Association) is preparing two briefing papers to explain why the Ecolabel is not appropriate for the press sector.