Reach PLC Scotland’s Ayrshire titles are leading the way in sustainable newsprint and delivering a UK newspaper first. The Ayrshire Post, Kilmarnock Standard and the Irvine Herald are now printed on PEFC-certified paper.
Striving for Sustainability
PEFC Chain of Custody ensures that the wood and wood fibre used to make newsprint for the titles comes from a legal and sustainable origin, is responsibly sourced and tracked at every stage in the supply chain – this enables the company to play an important role in protecting the world’s forests. This commitment to sustainable printing is a key step in Reach’s commitment to minimise its environmental impact.
Reach Scotland Regionals’ Publishing Editor George Johnston has worked closely with his colleagues at the company’s printing plant – Reach Printing Services (Saltire) Ltd – to raise awareness of newspaper group’s promise to reduce environmental impact throughout the business and continually strive for sustainability.
“There is no getting away from the climate emergency and we should not underestimate the part we can all play,” says George Johnston. “We know the environment is very much front of mind these days and everyone accepts how important an issue it is. It would be disingenuous of us to be reporting on topics such as global warming, carbon footprint, recycling, plastics, pollution and waste without answering the case as to how we, as a business, justify not being entirely eco-friendly (travelling, printing on paper, delivery) ourselves.
“As a newspaper publisher, our print credentials underpin everything we do. In the same way we apply values and standards to our editorial content, we hold ourselves to strict controls in our production processes. Picking up a paper in the newsagents is easy but knowing how that paper was sourced and produced from tree to print is how we earn trust and our readers’ trust is very important to us. So to be able to offer this industry-leading environmental label is another fantastic acknowledgement that shows our titles do care about environmental issues.
From Tree to Print
“Our ‘From Tree to Print’ project is a collaboration with Reach Scotland Regionals, Reach Printing Services Ltd and the Two Sides non-profit Love Paper campaign. This aims to raise awareness and encourage readers and advertisers to support the important role that the local newspaper industry plays in protecting the environment. We are proud of our environmental credentials and we hope businesses will assess their own supply chain strategy and support sustainability through new partnerships with us.“
Reach Scotland Regionals publishes 17 local titles every week including the Paisley Daily Express, Hamilton Advertiser and the Stirling Observer and is working with its suppliers to ensure every one of the regional titles can follow the example set by the Ayrshire series.
For more information visit: www.reachplc.com or contact George Johnston