From this week, all UK subscriber editions of Country Life will be delivered in paperwrap rather than polythene, as part of TI Media’s drive to minimise their impact on the environment and find sustainable alternatives to plastic.

Mark Hedges, Country Life editor, commented: “The tide is finally turning on how we all think about the use of plastic and our responsibility to live more sustainably. More so than ever before, our readers are becoming advocates for our environment and that ethos should come through in everything we do. They are making changes to address their environmental impact and now they can rest assured that their subscription to Country Life is that bit kinder to the planet too.”

Steve Prentice, Country Life managing director, adds: “While polythene is fully recyclable and has a relatively low carbon footprint, the facilities, capabilities and approaches to recycling differ between local authorities up and down the country. In most areas, readers needed to take the wrap to a supermarket to be able to dispose of it responsibly. This makes paper a better product for wrapping our subscriber editions as it is so widely recycled, but in making this change, we have been cautious not to shift the environmental impact from one place to another. We have worked hard with our partner, Walstead UK, to ensure this wrap is sourced from sustainably-managed forests and is carbon-balanced.”

TI Media is exploring a range of alternatives to the use of polythene wrap on its subscriber copies that are environmentally friendly while also being practical and cost-effective for each magazine’s audience.