WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 2007 - Nearly 400 Barnes and Noble (B&N) and Hastings Books and Music stores nationwide will run in-store promotions highlighting magazines that use recycled paper, under a major push by Co-op America's Magazine PAPER Project and Next Steps Marketing.
The "Green Paper for People and Planet" promotion will occupy prominent fixtures within these stores with special signage to highlight the magazines' commitment to the environment. Each publication featured in these unique fixtures is an environmental leader in using recycled paper with at least 30 percent post-consumer content.
Six magazines that use recycled paper - Shape, Fast Company, Mother Jones, ReadyMade, Nickelodeon Magazine, and Body + Soul - will be prominently featured during November in 153 Hastings Books and Music stores. To view Hastings locations nationwide: http://www.hastingsentertainment.com/catalog/.
Barnes and Noble has committed to offering 10 slots for magazines that use recycled paper at a heavily discounted rate with special signage in their top 240 stores in January. This promotion will roll out more widely in April 2008 in conjunction with Earth Day.
Both Hastings and Barnes and Noble are demonstrating their support for the environment by supporting magazines that use recycled paper. "This promotion demonstrates that magazines are committed to the environment in a time where environmental issues are at the forefront," says Maire Walsh, director of client services at Next Steps Marketing. "For the participating magazines, it can mean building awareness for their titles, increasing sale and market penetration. More importantly, it shows that there are magazines in our industry that are embracing recycled paper."
The paper production industry is the fourth largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions of all US manufacturing industries. In addition, deforestation is responsible for 25-30 percent, or 2 billion tons, of greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere each year. The global warming savings from the six magazines featured in this promotion are substantial: collectively they save more than 21,698,223 pounds of carbon dioxide annually! This is equivalent to curbing carbon dioxide emissions put forth by more than 1,970 cars in a year. Today, less than 5 percent of all magazine paper contains any recycled content.
"The time is now for each and every magazine to step up and take responsibility for the impact their publication has on the environment," says Valerie Latona, editor in chief of Shape magazine, the largest women's consumer magazine using recycled paper. "You often hear about recycled paper being poor quality, or that it costs too much and won't work financially for a publishing company; however, if Shape can do it with a 1.7 million circulation size and still be successful and profitable, I'd have to say those excuses are not valid. There can be no more excuses."
"This bookstore promotion is a fantastic way to spread awareness of the environmental impact of print publishing, and of the magazines who have committed themselves to combating that impact," says Jennifer Alt, production manager for Nickelodeon Magazine. "At Nick Magazine, we have set a standard that all paper stocks in our inventory carry a minimum of 30% post-consumer waste whenever possible. Our readers are kids that care about the future of the planet, so we should, too. We hope this promotion encourages people to contact the magazines they subscribe to and ask them to use recycled paper, so more magazines adopt environmental policies."
According to Magazine PAPER Project Director Frank Locantore: "The Hastings and Barnes and Noble promotions are a great way to introduce magazine readers nationwide to leading publications in their field that use recycled paper. When magazines tell their readers that they are using recycled paper, publishers are rewarded with deeper loyalty. Readers are increasingly supportive of magazines that use environmentally responsible paper, giving those publishers a competitive advantage for advertising dollars."
If the entire North American magazine industry used just 30 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) paper, the results would be staggering:
- 1,448,487 tons of wood would be saved, or the equivalent of 10,027,984 trees; - 6,275,322 million BTU's of energy would be conserved, or the equivalent of the energy used to power 68,960 homes in a year;
- 1,694,830,791 pounds of greenhouse gases would not be released into the atmosphere, or the equivalent of greenhouse gases emitted by 153,894 cars in a year;
- 3,377,016,271 gallons of wastewater would not be produced, or the equivalent of 5,113 Olympic-sized swimming pools; and
- 760,160,370 pounds of solid waste would be conserved, or the equivalent of 27,149 fully-loaded garbage trucks
For a more comprehensive list of magazines using recycled paper and sustainable production processes, visit Co-op America's Magazine PAPER Project website: www.MagazinePAPER.org. The Magazine PAPER Project and Next Steps Marketing are working to expand this promotion to other large bookstore chains in order to recognize and promote the achievements of magazines committed to environmental leadership.