Condé Nast is a global media company. We produce content across print and digital channels globally. The company is headquartered in New York and London, and our scope for the Commitment is Condé Nast's twelve international markets. Our primary use of plastic packaging is print magazine wrapping.

America: Caribbean, Central America, Northern America, South America

Asia: Eastern Asia, Southern Asia

Europe: Northern Europe, Southern Europe, Western Europe

Our reduction target will be delivered through eliminating virgin plastic, switching to alternative packaging materials or solutions. Print magazine copies will be expected to be distributed unwrapped, wrapped in paper, or as a minimum be wrapped in plastic containing 50% PCW, depending on the distribution channels and geographical locations.

Within the Global Commitment framework, in 2020 usage, we have achieved a direct elimination of 82% of plastic packaging. During the reporting period, 10 out of 12 markets used alternative packaging materials and solutions across our print magazines consumed via newsstand and subscription distribution channels. Our reduction target is to eliminate 85% of total single use plastic packaging (2018 baseline) by the end of 2025. The alternative packaging solutions that have been adopted by our markets range from naked mailing, i.e. distributing print magazines without wrapping (U.S., Japan); paper envelopes (India); recycled plastics made from post-consumer waste (PCW) (Britain and Germany); and bio-based compostable packaging made from potato starch, sugar cane and corn (China, Britain, France, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan, Italy).

Condé Nast is currently revising our global procurement principles and requirements across our international markets by the end of 2021 (Phase 1 of Condé Nast’s 5-Year Global Sustainability Strategy 2020-2025). Print magazine value chain is prioritised in the scope for the new procurement approach, which aims to transform the way we design and source our magazine packaging solution for worldwide distribution. In the next phase of our 5-Year Sustainability Strategy implementation (2022-2023), we expect that subscription copies should be wrapped in paper or sent out unwrapped. Within the same time period, Newsstand copies should be wrapped in plastic containing 50% Post-Consumer Waste (PCW) as a minimum. The longer-term goal is to ideally wrap our print magazines in paper or even unwrapped. We will continue to monitor our progress through annual reporting, and regularly explore new innovations together with international institutions, industry trade bodies and publishing peers.

The reuse model is not applicable to the publishing industry profile (i.e. print magazine distribution). Hence the reuse model has not been in scope for Condé Nast’s Global Commitment.

None reported

The reuse model is not applicable to the publishing industry profile (i.e. print magazine distribution). Hence the reuse model has not been in scope for Condé Nast’s Global Commitment.

Our markets are in the progress of delivering our Global Commitment to transition to alternative recyclable and compostable wrapping for newsstands, and subscription channels, as part of the 5-Year Global Sustainability Strategy key axis (2020-2025). During the reporting period, 8 out of 12 markets had used alternative recyclable and compostable materials (80% of our “new” plastic packaging portfolio). In some markets, we had also joined up with other publishing peers through industry trade bodies in response to national government policy proposals, addressing the collection and recycling of magazine film packaging.

Yes

100% reusable, recyclable or compostable

We are working with industry bodies and peers to identify feasible alternative materials, as well as addressing local recycling infrastructure issues via institutional channels in the upcoming government policy consultations.

The availability and product specifications of alternative packaging materials hugely vary across geographies. Therefore, our 12 international markets are currently live testing different solutions according to their unique profiles, in line with the Commitment and Condé Nast’s 5-Year Global Sustainability Strategy. Where biodegradable wrapping, paper or naked mailing are not feasible solutions locally, we have committed to work with our suppliers to ensure that print magazine wrapping contains at least 30% post-consumer recycled content (PCR) content. During the reporting period, our packaging portfolio had 14.4 tonnes of 30% PCR and 50% content (+17.5%, as compared to the 2020 GC report). The current PCR% has already reached our first target percentage, as per Condé Nast's signatory commitment in 2019. The availability and product specifications of alternative packaging materials hugely vary across geographies. Therefore, our 12 international markets are currently live testing different solutions according to their unique profiles, in line with the Commitment and Condé Nast’s 5-Year Global Sustainability Strategy. Where biodegradable wrapping, paper or naked mailing are not feasible solutions locally, we have committed to work with our suppliers to ensure that print magazine wrapping contains at least 30% post-consumer recycled content (PCR) content. During the reporting period, our packaging portfolio had 14.4 tonnes of 30% PCR and 50% content (+17.5%, as compared to the 2020 GC report). The current PCR% has already reached our first target percentage, as per Condé Nast's signatory commitment in 2019.

As part of the ongoing packaging material transition workstrand via Condé Nast’s 5-Year Global Sustainability Strategy (2020-2025), our 12 markets are in the progress of switching to paper or naked mailing within the same timeframe. Post-consumer recycled content (PCR) materials may still be an interim solution for print magazine packaging in some of our markets, where other materials or solutions are not feasible due to the constraints on local machinery and postal systems. By the end of 2022, we are planning to increase the post-consumer recycled content (PCR) target percentage to 50% for our Newsstand copies, as a minimum; if not wrapped in paper or unwrapped (i.e. naked mailing).

Print magazine wrapping has been prioritised as it is the most material plastic usage across our business operations and supply chains. In May 2020, we launched our 5-Year global sustainability strategy which includes transforming our global procurement approach to eliminate unnecessary and problematic plastics from products and services provided by suppliers. We may consider expanding the scope to cover other business activities e.g. physical events, merchandise in the near future, if relevant.

The reduction of 82% was a result of directly eliminating plastic packaging from our print magazine distribution via newsstands and subscription channels across our international markets.