As part of a pioneering move to reduce plastic waste, the Guardian’s print edition will no longer be sold in plastic packaging. Behind the scenes, the team behind this big change were Richard Furness, managing director of reader revenue and publishing, Mylene Sylvestre, director of publishing, Roger Clapham, head of supply chain, and Dave Kirwan, the production director for publishing. Here they explain how they did it.
How did the idea for a compostable wrap come about?
Richard We are in a constant, inquiring conversation with our readers about what they’d like to see from us, and the genesis of this project really came from conversations with them in which they asked how we might adapt our product to be more environmentally friendly. We introduced polybagging about 20 years ago, when our weekend edition started to get bigger and bulkier with extra supplements. It was the only way we could get them out on time and guarantee they would survive the British weather! Over time we tried to improve the plastic we were using, making it thinner, more recyclable, etcetera, but it was still plastic, and still not good enough.
It took a bit of time to get the project off the ground – we are always very conscious of balancing commerciality with our values. It’s clear 2019 is a hugely important year in terms of cutting plastics use across the board. It felt urgent, so we didn’t want to wait for regulation or wait and hope someone else solves the problem.
What is the impact of polythene on the environment?
Dave Last year we used approximately 25 tonnes of plastic for wrapping, which is about half a tonne a week. We knew we had to find an alternative. The newsprint we use for newspapers, however, is more than 70% recycled, and sourced in a way that retains biodiversity, which is really important to us. The new compostable wrapping film we now use is made from waste potatoes left out of the food chain in Eastern and Northern Europe, it is processed to release the starch and manufactured into granules.
Mylene The decision to do away with our plastic wrappers came at a time when the Guardian was trying to cut costs, and when we had just completed a transition to the new tabloid format, so it had to be as inexpensive as possible. In the end, the overall wrapping cost has gone up a little, but we see it very much as an investment and decided to invest in compostable wrapping despite increasing our operations costs.
Why did you settle on potato starch?
Mylene It’s been about 10 months in the making, all told. We needed something that could be produced quickly for each edition, so as not to delay distribution of the paper. We originally tried to move to a paper substitute for the wrapper, but found that it wouldn’t stand up against the elements too well, so wouldn’t be suitable for home deliveries. It was actually our environment journalists who suggested we try potato starch – a material they had seen being used by the RSPB, the National Trust and others.
Richard It’s been really fascinating to learn about the process. Our early prototypes underwent intensive tests to see how quickly they could move through the printing presses, how the text looked, how robust it was. We discovered we were only allowed to have ink covering a maximum of 5% of the surface of the wrapper in order to keep it compostable, so that was a challenge too.
Dave The material itself is called Bioplast 300 and is made using compounded potato starch, mixed with the other ingredients (biodegradable polyesters and additives). Bioplast 300 does not contain volatile or GM ingredients and is 100% biodegradable. The bio granules are extruded and blown into film, in the same way conventional plastics are made.
Is the wrapper now used for all the weekend papers?
Richard We decided to launch it in London and the home counties first, as a live test to see how it was received. But after the overwhelmingly positive response we have had from readers, we plan to roll it out nationally from April this year. Guardian Weekly subscribers across UK and Europe will also start seeing the new wrapper on their editions very soon.
How should readers dispose of the new wrapper?
Mylene It needs to go in the compost bin or garden waste after it’s been used. Some councils still don’t offer proper facilities for this, so people need to lobby their local councils to implement these services as soon as possible!
What feedback have you received?
Mylene Happily, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. We didn’t have a huge PR drive around the new wrapper as it hasn’t quite yet been rolled out to all our readers, and so many people got in touch to say it had been a lovely surprise when they got to the newsagent. It made me laugh when one reader commented on Twitter that she thought this was “the most Guardian thing ever!”.
Richard There has been a global reaction, as word has spread about the project online, with people sending us messages – often copying in their local publication and lobbying them to follow suit. Several publishers have been in touch to ask about our suppliers. We are actively sharing our methodology and details of our partners: the environment is an issue that’s extremely close to our hearts and it would be great if more publications followed suit. I think many simply didn’t know the technology exists – and, similarly, this project has highlighted the lack of general knowledge around composting. So there’s a lot of work to be done by readers too, in getting the word out there!
Are there any other innovations in the pipeline?
Richard We are always looking for ways to innovate and improve the supply chain. We have recently moved one of the magazine production sites from mainland Europe to the UK, and we share our distribution routes with other papers, so we no longer have our own vehicles. Our distribution manager Roger Clapham is instrumental in making this process work so efficiently.
Why is the paper edition still a big part of the Guardian’s identity?
Richard Readers have a deep attachment to the paper, and understandably so – it’s news at a different pace to so much of modern life, and as such, it can provide a bit of respite from it. The chance to carve out some time at the weekend for the papers is one of life’s pleasures, and we know from research that our print readers really value the tangible nature of print.