In a long discussion with Nick Hallett (distribution manager of the Londonpaper) on tuesday, the message that free newspapers are here to stay was reaffirmed. Nick went to great lengths to tell me about all the waste and recycling initiatives that the Londonpaper was involved with. They have some interesting plans in the pipeline, some of which are quite encouraging.
And over the past few months we have seen further evidence that the free publication model continues to grow in popularity. Piet Baker, in his newsletter, recently reported that there are now 53 countries producing 41.8 million copies of 229 different titles every day. That means circulation of free newspapers around the world has nearly doubled in just two years.
In London, Metro will soon be overtaking one of the oldest tabloids, the Daily Mirror, in terms of circulation; and with Shortlist (aimed at men 'with more than one thing on their mind') hoping to establish itself as the first general interest free weekly magazine, the potential for new rival publications has never been greater. Free publications will enjoy an increasing share of the advertising revenue pie for years to come it seems.
But with all this new enterprise, can we expect to see relative increases in the capacity of the recycling infrastructure to reasonably reflect the free publishing industries desires and achievements? No, is the short answer. New publications require large amounts of money and resources to start up (with the potential of advertising revenues to keep the project moving forward), but the present reliance and pressures on public money to sponsor the increasing demand for free literature and its corresponding waste/recycling challenges, means our ability to act responsibly is becoming increasingly impossible.
Industry is going to have to commit a lot more of its 'bottom line' towards investment and sponsorship of 'green' priorities if we are to really get to grips with the millions of tons of waste we send to landfill every day.
Companies considering new routes to market therefore, should be doing so with environmental levies and taxation uppermost on their balance sheets. This is the only way we can expect to run an economy responsibly. Every new enterprise should be forced to pay realistic amounts of income towards the direct impact it has on the street cleaning services, the recycling infrastructure and the local community at large.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Observations
Giveaways are booming, and some think it is only a matter of time before a Fleet Street title follows them, reports James Robinson in the Observer (25.11.07)
In this article there are some interesting conclusions and observations from some of the key players involved in the London freesheet battle. One of which is from Steve Auckland, MD at Metro -
'People weren't sitting on tubes or trains reading papers before Metro came along. A few of them might have been reading a book, but most of them were staring into space.'
One might make the same conclusion when chronicling the impact of the iPod. But to say that very few people were listening to music on the tube before the iPod came along would be inaccurate. Does Mr Auckland truly believe that before the Metro, no-one read books, magazines, work reports, newspapers or any other type of literature on public transport? Perhaps this was a tongue in cheek comment, but for me, Mr Auckland is attempting to make us believe and buy into the one thing that Apple, Associated Newspapers et al work very hard for on a daily basis. That the products they tout are items essential to our daily existence. That we must have these items in our lives to make our lives feel more complete.
In a sense, iPod's and Free newspapers are bought to market in quite similar ways. Both are backed up by big budget marketing campaigns, they are both very visible on the streets, and they are both aimed at 20-30 somethings.
I for one, whilst being a fan of the iPod did not buy one for 2 years based on the fact that I felt I didn't need one at that stage. Eventually I succumbed. This was perhaps because the cleverly designed and ubiquitous poster campaigns which were designed to be completely unavoidable and irresistable eventually got through to me.
The same is true of the free newspapers. We will all eventually grow to love one of the many free publications that will be made available to us I suppose, but that does not escape the fact that free literature publishers must be made to contribute far more to the clean up bill.
Through their seemingly inexhaustable availability the free papers are indeed very successful. But that doesn't make the producers of them any less responsible for paying towards more of the clear up costs.
We at Project Freesheet shall be striving to do just that.
In this article there are some interesting conclusions and observations from some of the key players involved in the London freesheet battle. One of which is from Steve Auckland, MD at Metro -
'People weren't sitting on tubes or trains reading papers before Metro came along. A few of them might have been reading a book, but most of them were staring into space.'
One might make the same conclusion when chronicling the impact of the iPod. But to say that very few people were listening to music on the tube before the iPod came along would be inaccurate. Does Mr Auckland truly believe that before the Metro, no-one read books, magazines, work reports, newspapers or any other type of literature on public transport? Perhaps this was a tongue in cheek comment, but for me, Mr Auckland is attempting to make us believe and buy into the one thing that Apple, Associated Newspapers et al work very hard for on a daily basis. That the products they tout are items essential to our daily existence. That we must have these items in our lives to make our lives feel more complete.
In a sense, iPod's and Free newspapers are bought to market in quite similar ways. Both are backed up by big budget marketing campaigns, they are both very visible on the streets, and they are both aimed at 20-30 somethings.
I for one, whilst being a fan of the iPod did not buy one for 2 years based on the fact that I felt I didn't need one at that stage. Eventually I succumbed. This was perhaps because the cleverly designed and ubiquitous poster campaigns which were designed to be completely unavoidable and irresistable eventually got through to me.
The same is true of the free newspapers. We will all eventually grow to love one of the many free publications that will be made available to us I suppose, but that does not escape the fact that free literature publishers must be made to contribute far more to the clean up bill.
Through their seemingly inexhaustable availability the free papers are indeed very successful. But that doesn't make the producers of them any less responsible for paying towards more of the clear up costs.
We at Project Freesheet shall be striving to do just that.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Industrialised Tree Plantations
I had an interesting meeting with Steve Auckland, Don Gray and Karen Wall from Associated Newspapers last week. They were interested to hear of Project Freesheets' observations that the street vendors (or merchandisers) were not carrying out their clearing up responsibilities to anything like an acceptable standard. And as AN seem to value the street vendors greatly, the idea of a recycling incentive scheme amongst their street vendors was given some thought.
The efforts being made by AN appear to be genuine (they are hoping to make some announcements in the not too distant future), but I still have this nagging thought - Can a product made from trees with a designed life span of twenty minutes ever be produced in an environmentally responsible manner?
A life cycle assessment of a free newspaper has not been carried out yet, and would cost a lot of money to do, but until tree based paper pulp is taken out of the supply chain, can a free newspaper made from trees ever hope to be labeled environmentally responsibe? This quote is taken from a report entitled "Banks, Pulp and People - A Primer on Upcoming International Pulp Projects" recently published on Pulpmillwatch.org
"Pulp mills and the industrial tree plantations that feed them have become increasingly controversial. In country after country, local people and environmental organisations are protesting against the impacts of plantations. The vast areas of mono-cultures required to feed modern pulp mills have severe impacts on biodiversity, water, land rights and livelihoods. And the mills themselves are among the most polluting of industrial facilities. Communities around the world have seen their rivers, fisheries and drinking water ruined. Protests against pulp mills are ongoing in Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, to mention just a few of the countries involved."
And according to PulpMillWatch.org, over the next 5 years the pulp industry is planning to increase production capacity by more than 25 million tonnes.........
The efforts being made by AN appear to be genuine (they are hoping to make some announcements in the not too distant future), but I still have this nagging thought - Can a product made from trees with a designed life span of twenty minutes ever be produced in an environmentally responsible manner?
A life cycle assessment of a free newspaper has not been carried out yet, and would cost a lot of money to do, but until tree based paper pulp is taken out of the supply chain, can a free newspaper made from trees ever hope to be labeled environmentally responsibe? This quote is taken from a report entitled "Banks, Pulp and People - A Primer on Upcoming International Pulp Projects" recently published on Pulpmillwatch.org
"Pulp mills and the industrial tree plantations that feed them have become increasingly controversial. In country after country, local people and environmental organisations are protesting against the impacts of plantations. The vast areas of mono-cultures required to feed modern pulp mills have severe impacts on biodiversity, water, land rights and livelihoods. And the mills themselves are among the most polluting of industrial facilities. Communities around the world have seen their rivers, fisheries and drinking water ruined. Protests against pulp mills are ongoing in Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, to mention just a few of the countries involved."
And according to PulpMillWatch.org, over the next 5 years the pulp industry is planning to increase production capacity by more than 25 million tonnes.........
Monday, October 8, 2007
free-daily.com: How not to distribute a free daily newspaper
free-daily.com: How not to distribute a free daily newspaper
Great piece Clyde! Couldn't have put it better myself
Great piece Clyde! Couldn't have put it better myself
Friday, October 5, 2007
Free thinking?
Taken from News Corp's carbon report - "We aim to transform our business practices in order to significantly reduce our energy use and carbon emissions. Each News Corp. business unit is on the path to achieving carbon neutrality, net zero carbon emissions."
And Mr Murdoch continues within his own address to News Corp - "Now, I realize we can't take just one year in one city or even one continent as proof that something unusual is happening. And I am no scientist. But there are signs around the world, and I do know how to assess a risk. Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction. We must transform the way we use energy, and of course not only because of climate change..."
I followed Mr Murdochs advise and had a look at his Myspace.com/ourplanet site so that I could see how he was communicating with the internet generation. And what I found was that the address I inputted was forwarded onto the normal Myspace site resplendent with advertsising for Myspave TV - the tagline for this particuler advert was 'Scrap your TV and switch to MySpacetv.com'.
And as Mr Murdoch goes on to say "News Corporation, today, reaches people at home and at work... when they're thinking... when they're laughing... and when they are making choices that have enormous impact."
Exactly Mr Murdoch! Couldn't have put it better myself. And what a great example you are setting to us all.
And Mr Murdoch continues within his own address to News Corp - "Now, I realize we can't take just one year in one city or even one continent as proof that something unusual is happening. And I am no scientist. But there are signs around the world, and I do know how to assess a risk. Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction. We must transform the way we use energy, and of course not only because of climate change..."
I followed Mr Murdochs advise and had a look at his Myspace.com/ourplanet site so that I could see how he was communicating with the internet generation. And what I found was that the address I inputted was forwarded onto the normal Myspace site resplendent with advertsising for Myspave TV - the tagline for this particuler advert was 'Scrap your TV and switch to MySpacetv.com'.
And as Mr Murdoch goes on to say "News Corporation, today, reaches people at home and at work... when they're thinking... when they're laughing... and when they are making choices that have enormous impact."
Exactly Mr Murdoch! Couldn't have put it better myself. And what a great example you are setting to us all.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Small steps
Certainly it's good news that Westminster City Council have at last been able to announce the results of their protracted negotiations with the free newspaper publishers this week. As Westminster have been bearing the brunt of the freesheet war over the past 12 months it is only sensible that pilot projects are tested out in the borough which has to deal with 4 tonnes of newspaper every day. However a few questions spring to mind...
Are these measures alone going to solve the problem of diverting free newspapers from going to landfill?
What measures will be put in place to deal with the excessive number of free papers to be found on the buses, the tube network and the regional trains services?
How are we going to stop the culture of abandoning waste on the transport infrastructure which is so costly and bad for the environment?
On September 12th Project Freesheet is going to take to the streets once more to assess the impact of the new bins being sponsored by Associated Newspapers and News International. We will gather data which will give an accurate account of how much paper is ending up in the aforementioned recycling bins compared to what is ending up in the waste bins or on the street. If you would like to join us please email via the website for more details
As the gentle ripple of approval throughout the media continues let us see how many more boroughs and transport networks follow Westminster's lead in succeeding to get the free newspaper publishers to clean up their own mess.
Are these measures alone going to solve the problem of diverting free newspapers from going to landfill?
What measures will be put in place to deal with the excessive number of free papers to be found on the buses, the tube network and the regional trains services?
How are we going to stop the culture of abandoning waste on the transport infrastructure which is so costly and bad for the environment?
On September 12th Project Freesheet is going to take to the streets once more to assess the impact of the new bins being sponsored by Associated Newspapers and News International. We will gather data which will give an accurate account of how much paper is ending up in the aforementioned recycling bins compared to what is ending up in the waste bins or on the street. If you would like to join us please email via the website for more details
As the gentle ripple of approval throughout the media continues let us see how many more boroughs and transport networks follow Westminster's lead in succeeding to get the free newspaper publishers to clean up their own mess.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Thin end of the wedge
A new free weekly magazine is soon to appear on the streets of London from French Connection founder Stephen Marks and film director Matthew Vaughn. Codenamed Alpha One, the title will be the first general-interest weekly given away free to men.
The magazine is the brainchild of former IPC editorial director Mike Soutar… Mr Soutar said half a million copies of the title would be distributed by hand on a Thursday at key commuter points across the country, including London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and west Yorkshire.
Mr Soutar added: ”For consumers under the age of 45 the power of free media is extraordinary. Survey after survey shows younger consumers value free media as much as paid for and expect the same quality both online and in print. Alpha One, the title will be the first general-interest weekly given away free to men, who are shunning monthly magazines such as GQ and Esquire."
As the competition between 'paid-for' and free publications increases, I don't think anyone can be in denial about the increasing problem being faced by the local authorities due to the ever increasing amount of free literature now being handed out on our streets. 30% of the European newspaper market is now free - that's nearly 27 million publications being handed out on a daily basis.
I was at the London Recycling Officers Group (LROG) meeting held at City Hall, London, yesterday (chaired by Beverley Simonson, Waste minimisation and recycling officer for Ealing Council), where recycling officers from boroughs all over London gather to share knowledge and update each other on all aspects of recycling management. I gave a presentation which seemed to go down well, and was pleased that some offered to help out with the next round of volunteer recruitment for our upcoming walkabout (date + details soon to be announced).
One interesting discussion early on in the meeting was with Shameem Shah (from the DEFRA Waste Strategy Review Team) who was questioned about who was supposed to pay for the increasing amount of commercial waste that the authorities are having to look after, at the expense of the tax payer. Yet again we are seeing the private sector making savings at the tax payers expense. Legislation does not exist to negotiate this problem.
Lets hope the Government through our efforts can be influenced to look at producer responsibility as the primary way in which to take the burden off the tax payer. It simply isn't right that tax payers are subsidising the private sector in this manner.
The magazine is the brainchild of former IPC editorial director Mike Soutar… Mr Soutar said half a million copies of the title would be distributed by hand on a Thursday at key commuter points across the country, including London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and west Yorkshire.
Mr Soutar added: ”For consumers under the age of 45 the power of free media is extraordinary. Survey after survey shows younger consumers value free media as much as paid for and expect the same quality both online and in print. Alpha One, the title will be the first general-interest weekly given away free to men, who are shunning monthly magazines such as GQ and Esquire."
As the competition between 'paid-for' and free publications increases, I don't think anyone can be in denial about the increasing problem being faced by the local authorities due to the ever increasing amount of free literature now being handed out on our streets. 30% of the European newspaper market is now free - that's nearly 27 million publications being handed out on a daily basis.
I was at the London Recycling Officers Group (LROG) meeting held at City Hall, London, yesterday (chaired by Beverley Simonson, Waste minimisation and recycling officer for Ealing Council), where recycling officers from boroughs all over London gather to share knowledge and update each other on all aspects of recycling management. I gave a presentation which seemed to go down well, and was pleased that some offered to help out with the next round of volunteer recruitment for our upcoming walkabout (date + details soon to be announced).
One interesting discussion early on in the meeting was with Shameem Shah (from the DEFRA Waste Strategy Review Team) who was questioned about who was supposed to pay for the increasing amount of commercial waste that the authorities are having to look after, at the expense of the tax payer. Yet again we are seeing the private sector making savings at the tax payers expense. Legislation does not exist to negotiate this problem.
Lets hope the Government through our efforts can be influenced to look at producer responsibility as the primary way in which to take the burden off the tax payer. It simply isn't right that tax payers are subsidising the private sector in this manner.
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