News says its 1 Degree initiative has achieved reductions in the Australian company's carbon footprint equivalent to taking 14,865 cars off the road.

The environmental sustainability initiative has marked ten years of progress and change in print distribution. It calls for employees, business partners, advertisers and suppliers of news media to make "one degree of difference" for the environment.

Since its launch, the initiative has seen the company reduce its carbon footprint by 39 per cent. News also claims to have achieved "zero waste" at all its major print centres around the country and - when factoring in the use of sustainable paper and programmes for print products - have diverted 98 per cent of all print centre waste from landfill.

Head of environment Tony Wilkins says a significant part of the initiative is engagement with partners, suppliers and the community. "The success of 1 Degree's philosophy remains true today, and is evident in the many and varied steps we have taken individually and collectively to help News Corp Australia achieve outstanding results over the past ten years."

News celebrated in Sydney with a sustainability showcase, featuring pop-up shops, expos, activities, workshops and keynote presentations from founder and programme director of Circular Economy Australia Candice Quartermain and Planet Ark chief executive Paul Klymenko. A tenth anniversary newspaper with a print order of 10,000 documents achievements over the decade.

NewsMediaWorks' Environment Advisory Group, which represents all of Australia's major publishers including News and Fairfax Media, renewed its environmental ad campaign in January. All newsprint in Australia is made from trees grown in sustainable pine plantations. All recovered print products are recycled to create more newsprint or alternate products, such as cardboard, egg cartons and building materials.

Australian consumers currently recycle 76 per cent of all print products, with a further 6.7 per cent reused in the home. "This is among the highest in the world - a truly great effort of the industry, government and consumers working hand-in-hand on an entirely voluntary basis," says executive environment director Peter Netchaef. "Since 1989, more than 37 trillion newspapers have been recycled."

Pictured: Wilkins and News executive chairman Michael Miller lead 1 Degree celebrations