WHAT? Marie Claire revealed an Eco Chic special for its June issue, supporting its ‘Fashion with Heart’ ethos. The magazine was wrapped in a distinctive brown paper bag, which was printed with its front cover.  Every section of the issue received Marie Claire’s ‘eco glam’ treatment. This included ethical buys, cover girl Cate Blanchett talking about her involvement with charity Solar Aid and Joaquin Phoenix reporting from the Amazon. 

WHO? The magazine was published by IPC Southbank and the packaging was designed by Marie Claire’s creative director Stuart Selner. It was printed by Tunbridge Wells-based Mastercolour.

WHERE? The Eco Chic issue was distributed nationwide.

HOW? It was printed on a KBA Rapida 105 in four-colour plus a special litho white using vegetable-based inks. Mastercolour ran several months of material testing, including dummy mock ups and print tests. The packaging was printed on 120gsm pure ribbed kraft which was made from sustainably sourced material containing mill broke waste. It is biodegradable, compostable and 100% recyclable. The self- adhesive label, which highlighted the body butter gift from The Body Shop, was printed on FSC-accredited material, using water-based inks. 

WOW! The brown paper bag packaging is a first for a fashion magazine. The material was not guaranteed for litho printing so Mastercolour had to carefully consider material supply, shade variation of the stock and surface picking and debris. It highlights a move away from polywrapping, taking into consideration the environmental impact of packaging as well as printed pages.

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