Increasing recycled content in UK magazines

Waste & Resources Action Program (WRAP) has launched a project designed to give the UK magazine industry impetus to extend its use of recycled content paper.

It will provide a commercial and environmental case to accelerate take-up across the industry and encourage further investment in recycled magazine paper mills.

According to Mike Burgess, paper technical manager at WRAP, magazine publishing in the UK consumes around one million tonnes of paper per annum.

"A small fraction (1-3%) contains recycled content. We are investigating the scope to increase the proportion of recycled fibre used by magazine publishing to ensure long-term end markets for recovered fibre," he said.

"Increased demand and use of recycled content paper will increase the diversion of paper from landfill, and improve the likelihood of investment in new recycled content paper capacity."

Nick Mazur, Deputy Chief Executive, at the Periodical Publishers Association argued that a number of PPA members were already using recycled content fibre magazine paper within their title portfolio.

"It will be interesting for the wider industry to be able to assess these case studies and share this experience," he said.

"Magazines with their near-virgin fibre already play a key role within the recycling process, fuelling the manufacture of recycle-content newsprint."

"There are many potential applications for recycled content within the industry and the purpose of this project is to provide clear guidance to allow publishers to make informed choices," he said.