Recycling plan is focus of PPA green strategy

The Periodical Publishers Association (PPA) is working to devise a Producer Responsibility strategy for the magazine sector, which could lead to an increase in the rates of recycling.

PPA legal and government consultant Richard Henchley said strategy talks were at an early stage.

A PPA study carried out by Pira called the Mass Flow Analysis has assessed the environmental impact of the magazine supply chain.

It highlighted that of the 744,000 tonnes of magazines consumed by households and business, 677,000 tonnes is paper. Of this, 145,000 tonnes are retained by the consumer. Of the final 532,000 tonnes, 175,000 tonnes is recycled, with 357,000 tonnes going to landfill.

The board will work with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) on the strategy.