CIWM’s member magazine, Circular, will be going “naked” – ditching its polythene postage wrapping – permanently, following a successful trial .
The “naked” trial was in response to feedback from CIWM members after it asked which wrapping option was best, taking into account the full environmental economical and practical impact of each.
Members had the option of deciding to remain with the polythene wrap, moving to a compostable plastic, switching to paper wrapping or going completely “naked”.
While some members were content to receive the publication in a recyclable paper package, there was very little enthusiasm for biodegradable or compostable packaging.
Most of those who favoured the label-only option based their argument on the waste hierarchy; no matter how recyclable or biodegradable the packaging might be, isn’t it better to prevent waste in the first place?
This means that CIWM members will find their issues of Circular arrive naked going forward. In instances when the issue can’t go naked – such as when supplements are mailed out with the magazine – the most environmentally friendly and resource efficient option for this wrapping will be sought.
The response CIWM had from its members during the naked trial was encouraging and exhibited just how important an issue it is for them.
CIWM asked its members to get in touch to let them know the condition in which their issue of Circular reached them, as there was some concern regarding how the magazine would fair during transit.
While there were a couple of instances where the magazine arrived in less than perfect condition, the majority of members reported positive feedback, with many taking to social media to praise CIWM’s forward-thinking approach.
CIWM’s CEO Sarah Poulter said: “We listened to what our members wanted from us and that message was clear: stop using polythene wrapping for our member magazine and find an alternative solution.
“We’ve done this and I’m delighted to announce that Circular will be reducing its plastic by going naked for every issue that will be mailed without a supplement. When a supplement is due to be mailed with the magazine, we will find the most resource efficient and environmentally friendly way of doing this.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all CIWM members who responded to our wrapping consultation and for all the positive feedback we’ve received since then. Keep telling us what you want, because we’re still listening.”
CIWM Media Centre