Adoption of measures to reduce our paper trail

Purchases of role will diminish as GNM is moving towards a more digital future. Photography: Robert Giroux/Getty Images

While the guardian moves increasingly to become a company digitally, yet their purchases of paper represents greater environmental impact of the company.

Periodic purchase switch led to 9 per cent drop in demand for newsprint and magazine paper in 2010/11, in line with the rest of the industry. It is likely to continue as documents of will continue to seek to reduce the page, especially given that the cost of paper is increasing considerably.

In the past year, the Guardian and the observer used 65,000 tons of paper, with other companies in the Guardian Media Group, consuming more than 20,000 tons.

The continuing high volume of paper explains why continues to be a focus on ensuring that sustainable supply is the heart of the role of newspaper and magazine paper purchase.

Guardian Media Group (GMG), purchase role of Guardian News & Media (GNM), as well as other companies within the Group traditionally has focused on issues such as recycled and certified content Virgin.

In fact, during the past year, 96% of newspapers and 82 per cent of grade magazine paper used for the guardian and the observer was recycled or certified virgin fiber used.

However, a new approach in the past 12 months has been the carbon footprint of the paper we use. He is the elder of what gets measured gets manipulated and no doubt it has been true in this case.

As a result of a deeper understanding of the effects of carbon, GNM was able to reduce their supply of paper 29% average greenhouse gas emissions to 294kgs per tonne in the financial year ending March 2011.

This has exceeded our 10% reduction target and also meant that GNM was able to fulfil their commitment to 10: 10 to reduce their emissions global carbon by one-tenth by 2010. This is important, given that the guardian was a co-founder of 10: 10 campaign.

The reduction was made possible by a quarter of a role of newspaper the guardian of switching to the Norske Norway company, which depends on hydroelectric power. In fact Norske produces 9. 45kgs of CO2 per tonne of paper, compared with our previous UK supplier that had produced more than 100 times that amount.

GMG is not to be complacent in its document of purchase activities, in the spring of 2011, invited to WWF and Greenpeace to come to the Guardian and the criticism of our performance.

Since often Guardian noted and commended the work of NGOs in the portfolio companies to take into account their environmental impacts, us has thought it only fair and right that we expose ourselves to the same rigor.

Both NGOs commended our compilation of data, the fact that we are taking into account all the major risks, and that we are taking an active role in changing our patterns of purchases in an attempt to reduce the carbon footprint of paper we buy.

But the main criticism is that we are taking the easy approach through the acceptance of different certification schemes to nominal value, instead of "get our hands dirty" actively working to put pressure on our suppliers to improve the standards.

Of particular interest to them is the PEFC label covering Scandinavia and North America. This is because the label FSC, PEFC, is a group and there are a number of variations in how it operates, depending on which country came the role.

As a result of this vote, GMG Steve Gould paper buyer arranged a meeting with the directors of the PEFC system.

Also discussed the issue with our paper two Tomorrows advisers who believe that although is not perfect, the process control of PEFC is in line with good practice.

It has been particularly useful in tracking our progress has been collecting data in real-time to allow GMG see each month how much paper we are buying, the percentages of virgin fiber and recycling uses, certification levels and carbon intensities.

We also have a policy document which sets annual targets for improvement, which are signed by the Board of shopping. It is a variety of areas including recycling and the supply of virgin fiber, for the environmental performance of paper mills.

GMG has a commitment to maintain the levels of recycling of newsprint in not less than 80 per cent of total tons of fiber acquired.

In the final exercise of March 2011, the content recycled for the guardian and the observer was 86%, a reduction from the previous year caused by the commutator of Norske supplies.

For GMG as a whole, total recycling rose from 78 to 88 per cent as a result of the sale of our Division of regional newspaper that had used a large percentage of virgin fiber. The objective of 80% is based on the fact that the loss of fiber in the manufacture of recycled paper requires an annual contribution of around 20% virgin fibre to be sustainable.

GMG made a bold objective of progressively increasing the content of their paper document certified virgin fiber press and magazine with 90 per cent by the year 2012.

The figure in the last financial year actually fell marginally from 85% to 79% for the sale of our regional papers, which uses PEFC paper of 90%. The percentage of certified role of Norske is likely to increase this year and GMG still make every effort to meet the target of 90 per cent in March 2013.

GMG will continue to ensure that at least 95% of the mills that supply paper are certified to the ISO 14001 environmental management system.

GNM has worked with Polestar for the certificate chain of custody for the weekend and Observer Magazine magazine. GNM has completed a final certification procedure to allow that our magazines show the PEFC logo.

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