Newspaper Publishers

The Future of Newspapers Is Green - Give Readers the Green They Want to See

Industry projections still see newspapers in print for at least 10-15 years. Even with declines in newsprint, newspapers will take a heavy toll on carbon- and species-rich forests during that time. However, this can be translated into an opportunity, as newsprint purchasers are some of the most influential paper buyers in the world. This purchasing power, coupled with a strong environmental policy, can generate the impetus for paper suppliers to improve the sustainability of their forestry practices as well as the papers they produce.

Worldwide, the global capacity for newsprint production is approximately 37 million tonnes. In 2010, the United States and Canada produced 7.88 million tonnes of newsprint, of which approximately 60% was produced in Canada. This represents a tremendous impact on our forests in North America, however there is hope. Studies conclude approximately 33% of North American newsprint is recycled, which is equivalent to avoiding the harvest of roughly 59 million trees!  This recycled content percentage is a low industry average by global standards and in Canada we are far below the potential, performing at only a 20% recycled content in our newsprint.

Of newsprint produced in North America, the vast majority of fiber originates from Canada’s old growth Boreal forests and we are still seeing the last temperate rainforests in British Columbia providing fibre for our newsprint. Currently there are no industry-wide targets or standards for recycled content in North America while in some regions of the world, such as the UK, industry targets have resulted in an average of more than 80% recycled content.

Audiences seeking to be informed about climate change solutions are also consumers demanding greener products. Looking ahead, the future of newspapers needs to be an integrated platform of online and print with the latter being leaner and greener. It's with this vision that Canopy will continue to promote opportunities to influence market change, pairing leadership with concrete action. Environmental improvements begin with increasing efficiency in paper use and post-consumer recycled content. Where virgin fiber is used, specifying a stringent Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification delivers confidence to environmental organizations and consumers tracking paper and forestry performance. At the same time, Canopy actively supports the ongoing feasibility and development for papers that are made from non-wood fibres through our second harvest project.

Newsprint production in the coming decade still threatens to fragment large tracts of forests that took hundreds of years to become the complex ecosystems and carbon sinks that they are today. However, Canopy will work to seize the tremendous opportunity to collaborate on new environmental solutions with the newspaper sector.

Canopy's Editor and Publisher Article                               

Canopy is now writing for Editor & Publisher – the most prominent North American trade magazine for newspaper publishers.

Newspaper Trailblazers See the Forest for the Trees

December 2011 - Editor & Publisher - Tara Sawatsky and Nicole Rycroft
Learn about Above the Fold: Newspaper Environmental Leadership Report - and the newspapers profiled.

Through Green-colored glasses: An Environmental Vision for the Newspaper Industry 

September 2011 - Editor & Publisher - Tara Sawatsky and Nicole Rycroft
Learn about the Newspaper Industry Environmental Vision. 

A Certified Newspaper with your Certified Coffee?

FSC certification delivers environmental credibility to publishers. Read more to find out why.

Two Birds with One Seed - How newspapers can sustain business and our planet

April 2011 - Editor & Publisher - Nicole Rycroft and Tara Sawatsky            
At Canopy, we often find ourselves using the saying "feeding two birds with one seed." It's more inspiring (and has fewer casualties) than its more common cousin, "killing two birds with one stone." And either way, going green saves you both money and improves your image.

For Newspapers, Paper Is as Important as the News Itself 

December 2010 - Editor & Publisher – Nicole Rycroft and Tara Sawatsky          
Newspapers have enormous purchasing power that can generate the impetus for paper suppliers to improve the sustainability of their forestry practices as well as the papers they produce.

Newsprint Makers, Newspaper Publishers Part of Landmark Canadian Conservation Effort

May 26, 2010 - Editor & Publisher - Newsprint Makers, Newspaper Publishers Part of Landmark Canadian Conservation Effort - Jim Rosenberg

Two years of talks have culminated in forest-products companies and environmental organizations agreeing to cooperate in the protection of Canadian boreal forests. Demand among publishers has been part of a larger green market for forest products, which helped push the parties toward agreement, according to Rycroft, who cautions that the agreement is really only a starting point of concerted action to save the boreal forest. Much as newspapers have been able to promote the recovery of their products and their use of recycled fiber, North American publishers that worked with Canopy can "point to the agreement and their role in making it happen”. Read Article.

A Brighter Shade of Green: Opportunities for Newspapers in the New Era of Consumer Environmentalism

A joint report by Canopy and the Green Press Initiative that discusses the impacts of the newspaper industry and opportunities for environmental leadership. Download Report.

Please contact Tara@canopyplanet.org for more details.

Photo: Alan D. Wilson, www.naturespicsonline.com