Newsprint Recycled Content Audit Published

The average recycled content of newspapers in 2019 was 63.2 per cent, according to a report compiled by independent auditors for the Newspaper Industry Materials Committee. The combined recycled/certified fibre content ratio stands at 95 per cent.

Newspaper industry body NIMC provides a forum for the discussion of matters of mutual interest with regard to production materials used in newspaper publishing.  On a biannual basis, publishers commission an audit to establish whether recycling targets are being achieved.  

The auditors comment that the results have been affected by a reduction in the market share of domestic mills, which use 100 per cent recycled waste paper in their newsprint production. 

This comes in the wake of the closure of Aylesford Newsprint in 2015 and the resulting loss of some major domestic recycled newsprint capacity. 

The UK newspaper industry is committed to carrying the recycling logo and content percentage figure in a prominent position in its publications. 

NMA member publishers are asked to ensure that the recycling logo, available on the NMA website, appears in every issue, accompanied by the message: ‘The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2019 was 63.2%’.