Chullora Print Facility opened its gates to welcome Tanya Plibersek MP, minister for the environment and water, and news publishing leaders on a walk-through of the printing plant on Wednesday.
The walk-through tour of the printing plant comes as the news publishing media industry has been recognised for recycling leadership under the National Environmental Sustainability Agreement.
Joining Plibersek on the tour were Tory Maguire, managing director of Nine Publishing and chair of ThinkNewsBrands; Vanessa Lyons, CEO of ThinkNewsBrands; Phil O’Toole, COO of Seven West Media, WA; and News Corp Australasia’s executive chairman, Michael Miller.
Tanya Plibersek
Tanya Plibersek and Vanessa Lyons
The industry-led scheme, approved by the Albanese Government and administered by ThinkNewsBrands, has been officially accredited, helping to drive Australia’s transition to a circular economy.
Under the scheme, news publishing media companies commit to using sustainable fibres and non-hazardous inks to support safe recycling and to recycle unsold products.
The industry-led scheme has been operating for over 30 years and reports it has supported an increase in printed news recycling rates from 28 per cent in 1989 to 61 per cent in 2023. Last year, only 0.2 per cent of all printed newspapers went to landfill.
Plibersek said: “It’s great to see Australia’s major news publishers at the forefront of the waste and recycling transition – taking responsibility for the impacts of their products and production processes on the environment.
“Product stewardship goes above and beyond recycling and considers all stages of the product lifecycle for better environmental outcomes. This includes design, manufacture, distribution and sale, use and recovery of materials and products.”
Lyons added: “Australian news publishers are committed to environmental sustainability and have for nearly 35 years been making real strides together to drive more sustainable industry practices.
“The industry is immensely proud of its world-leading product stewardship scheme and the impact it has made for Australia. It’s great to see our news industry success being recognised and celebrated.”
Michael Miller
Tory Maguire
News Corp Australasia, Michael Miller, said: “Australia’s print media companies have always maintained a healthy competitive streak, so it’s always terrific to see bi-partisan support when it comes to important issues such as environmental sustainability.
“I would also like to thank the Albanese government and ThinkNewsBrands for strengthening this long-standing agreement through accreditation.”
Tory Maguire, managing director, Nine Publishing, added: “Our printed newspapers and magazines are here for the long haul so it’s vital we continue to make improvements to the sustainability of our products. Our readers and advertisers expect nothing less.
“This accreditation of our industry’s voluntary scheme is recognition of how seriously we take our responsibilities to protect people’s health and the environment.”
See also: News publishing media industry recognised for recycling leadership – scheme run by ThinkNewsBrands
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Top image: Tory Maguire, Vanessa Lyons, Tanya Plibersek, Phil O’Toole, and Michael Miller