Sustainable Newspapers
All Australian made newsprint contains 22% recycled fibre on average, and the remaining fibre comes from residue or by-products of sustainable forests. No old growth eucalypt has been used since the early 1990s, and no native eucalypt forest is now used at all.
The other major component of newspapers is ink, and those used in newspapers are environmentally sound and safe as detailed on the Inks page.
What about the plastics used to wrap home delivery newspapers?
Plastic film has been used to wrap newspapers in Australia since at least 1977. The plastic used is polyethylene. It is safe - the same plastic is used as clingwrap to wrap food. Polyethylene consists of the elements carbon and hydrogen. It is made of natural gas or as a by-product of petroleum refining, where in some cases it would be wasted in flaring if not used. When polyethylene is burnt under controlled conditions or it naturally degrades, it eventually breaks down to carbon dioxide and water.
At this time, it is the best material to protect the product en route to our readers. Damage to a product ultimately means increased waste.
Water Savings
The Nationwide News Chullora Print Centre, where The Daily Telegraph and The Australian are printed, has already introduced efficiencies to reduce water use by 45 kilolitres a day since joining Sydney Water's Every Drop Counts in 2004.
As part of the One Degree initiative, Queensland Newspapers have recently installed an impressive rainwater tank at their Murarrie print centre, which will help them to save over 40,000 litres of water a day. Advertiser Newspapers in Adelaide, and the Davies Brothers Print Centre in Hobart are also making a difference through collecting rainwater.