An industry-led newspaper and magazine recycling program approved by the Government of Albania has diverted nearly 100 percent of printed newspapers from landfill.
The voluntary National Environmental Sustainability Agreement – a product stewardship agreement for newspapers and magazines – has been officially accredited and is helping to drive Australia’s transition to a circular economy.
The program is managed by ThinkNewsBrandsthe consortium of Australia’s largest national news publishers, including Nine, News Corp Australia and Seven West Media.
Under this program, news media companies commit to using sustainable fibers and non-toxic inks to support safe recycling and reuse unsold products.
The industry-led program has been in place for over 30 years and has reportedly helped increase the recycling rate for print newspapers from 28 percent in 1989 to 61 percent in 2023. Last year, only 0.2 percent of all print newspapers ended up in landfill.
Tanja Plibersek
The Minister for Environment and Water Tanja Plibersek said: “It’s great to see Australia’s major news publishers leading the waste and recycling transition and taking responsibility for the environmental impact of their products and production processes.
“Product stewardship goes beyond recycling and considers all phases of the product life cycle to achieve better environmental outcomes. This includes design, manufacture, distribution and sale, use and recovery of materials and products.”
Vanessa Lyons
The CEO of ThinkNewsBrands, Vanessa Lyonssaid: “Australian news publishers are committed to environmental sustainability and have been making real progress together to drive more sustainable industry practices for almost 35 years. The industry is immensely proud of its world-leading product stewardship program and the impact it has had on Australia. It is great to see our success recognised and celebrated in the news industry.”
ThinkNewsBrand members comment on the scheme
News Corp Australasia Executive Chairman Michael Miller: “Australia’s print media companies have always maintained a healthy competitive spirit, so it is always great when there is cross-party support on important issues such as environmental sustainability.
“I would also like to thank the Albanian government and ThinkNewsBrands for strengthening this long-standing agreement through accreditation.”
Managing Director, Nine Publishing, Tory Maguire: “Our printed newspapers and magazines are here to stay for the long term, so it’s important that we continue to improve the sustainability of our products. Our readers and advertisers expect nothing less. This accreditation from our industry’s voluntary system is recognition of how seriously we take our responsibility to protect people’s health and the environment.”
Managing Director and CEO of Seven West Media, Jeff Howard: “Seven West Media aims to use the power of our print, digital and TV platforms to raise awareness of important environmental initiatives and drive positive behavioural change.
“We are committed to ensuring recycling is a key sustainability focus through initiatives such as the National Environmental Sustainability Agreement (NESA) and the many millions of dollars of advertising time Seven West Media donates to our key environmental partner Planet Ark each year to promote National Recycling Week.”
Managing Director of Are Media Group, Jane Huxley: “Are Media has a long-standing commitment to reducing our environmental impact. Supporting product stewardship is an integral part of our efforts to achieve the best environmental outcomes for the magazine industry and our customers.”
Top picture (from left to right): Tory Maguire, Michael Miller, Jane Huxley, Jeff Howard
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