New Australian sustainability plan runs to 2020

Sep 15, 2015 at 10:56 am by Staff


A new Australian agreement on newspaper sustainability takes the industry until 2020.

The sixth National Environment Sustainability Agreement was announced at the Future Forum in Sydney on Friday. Federal environment minister Greg Hunt described it as "another example of Australia leading the world on environmental issues.

"The Australian newspaper and magazine publishers, and the newsprint production industry, have a uniquely successful plan which has seen us move to be among the best recyclers in the world."

The five-year voluntary plan takes the industry into its third decade of product stewardship and recycling commitments. It covers all state, territory and federal jurisdictions.

Since the first agreement of 1992, recycling rates of newsprint have increased from 28 per cent to just under 80 per cent, putting it among the world's highest. All of the lifecycle components of news media are accounted for - from sustainable forest practices, best practice paper production, the use of safe inks, to the recovery and re-use of paper once people have finished reading it.

Environment executive director at The Newspaper Works Peter Netchaef says the NESA has stood the test of time as an example of how industry and government can work together on a voluntary basis and produce results that cannot be achieved by either on their own. "The industry commends Minister Hunt for his support and endorsement of this agreement."

Pictured: Greg Hunt announces the government's endorsement to the delight of The Newspaper Works chief executive Mark Hollands

Sections: Newsmedia industry

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