Indigo will be demanding 50% recycled paper in magazines within 5 years

A friend has passed along a brochure in which Indigo Books & Music, Canada's largest magazine retailer, has published its plans to reduce its paper use by 25% by 2012.

While this may seem like a paradox for a company that deals in paper, a brochure distributed in the chain's stores says that the company intends to have 30% post-consumer recycled content in their internal paper use within 12 months, 40% within 24 months, and 60% within 5 years. And its determination has significant implications for magazine publishers, already reeling from Indigo's demands for 50% sell-through on newsstand copies.

By 2012, Indigo’s objectives for paper we purchase from our vendors are:

• Require vendors to have an average of 20% postconsumer recycled content across uncoated book and magazine titles within 12 months, 30% within 24 months, and 50% within 5 years.
• Require vendors to have an average of 10% postconsumer recycled content across coated book and magazine titles within 12 months, 20% within 24 months, and 50% within 5 years.