June 27, 2011 - Metro Montreal - Daniel Barbeau, Publisher

You'll notice this morning that the newspaper Metro Montreal has changed somewhat. Yes, it is smaller, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Today, Metro has taken a step further in implementing its values of sustainable development.

As you know, much of the paper in our green bins is shipped directly to Asia, to be processed and made into recycled newsprint where it is then used locally. In Quebec, the best that we can currently ensure is that the newsprint contains 40% recycled fibre. Why not recycle all of the paper here to use it on the local market, you ask? Because of the type of single stream collection system that our governments have chosen: the paper producers do not want soiled paper, which is much too expensive to sort. We must change our  behaviours of the paper compaines and our governments, to incite them to offer us more ecological products and to make investments that take into accounnt the environment.

For our part, we decided to act now. With the continuous help and efforts of our printer and shareholder Transcontinental, which has always been very considerate of the environment, we managed a first for North America. From today, Montreal Metro is the first newspaper on the continent that is printed every day on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper. This paper is one of the greenest papers that is currently available on the market. In addition to it containing at least 40% recycled paper, we have the guarantee that it comes from responsible sources.

We are engaged, with the help of our partner Canopy, to promote sustainable forest management, protection of endangered forests, and the development of ecopapers that adopt ecologically repsonsible practices. We have also decided to reduce our paper consumption by reducing the height of the newspaper by 4cm. By modifying our model, we can adopt this smaller size without having a negative impact on the quality and quantity of our news. Metro will retain its allure and shape while continuing to provide essential news without having to print too many pages.

We are proud to be the first in North America to guarantee that we print our newspaper every day on FSC certified paper and we hope that other publishers will also follow this direction. I think it's a good start, but we must do more to help our planet. Moreover, at Metro, we dream that one day the major newspapers will be printed on recycled paper 100% made in Quebec and the contents of our green bins will be recycled and used at home and not at the other side of the world. If we give it our all, our behaviours will change. And why not?

Translated from French. Read article in Metro Montreal.