TNL customers are responding positively to the titles switching their plastic polybagging to an environmentally friendly, biodegradable wrap. It follows more than 99% of 434 readers surveyed claiming to be in favour of The Sunday Times reducing its plastic.

One reader commented: “Just wanted to feedback that I very much approve of your decision to use compostable wrap for our weekend delivered newspaper, thanks for doing this!” Another said: Absolutely fantastic idea, just as good as plastic.” 

The Times and The Sunday Times have now removed all outer polybagging in supermarkets, independent retailers and through Home News Delivery.

Last month, the outer polywrapping from 118,000 copies of The Sunday Times supplied to supermarket stores was removed helping supermarkets take 35 tonnes of plastic out of their retail supply chain.

On May 31, The TLS switched polybagging for postal subscriptions to compostable film and in the first week of June, the outer wrapping of all home news delivery copies of The Times and The Sunday Times was changed to biodegradable wrapping made from potato starch.

The new environmentally friendly wrapping can be disposed of in home compost heaps, garden waste bins and food waste bins.

The moves are part of News UK’s plastics pledge to remove all single-use plastic used to wrap our titles and inner magazines by 2020. Work is underway to replace the inner magazine wraps with a biodegradable alternative and thus reducing our single-use plastic tonnage to zero.