Carousel Calendars’ Plastic Detox
As a company, particularly one in the publishing sector that relies on packaging, paper and plastics, we know we need to do better for the environment. As such, we have been trialling new packaging options for our products, and seeking ways to remove more plastic. The plastic we currently use is polyolefin, which is recyclable, but it is still far better to reduce usage.
For 2020, we have:
- Replaced the outer shrink-wrap on a selection of wall calendars for an easily-recyclable cardboard envelope.
- Removed all plastic on our standard box page-a-day calendars – as far as we know we are the only major publisher to make this move. This has reduced over 4,000kg of plastic – as much as four small cars!
- All our diaries are unpackaged and will remain so.
For 2021:
- We are rolling out an even newer format which removes all product packaging on a significant number of calendars. This removes the packaging all-together and while we realise this increases the risk of damage, it still feels the right thing to do. If this is successful, it paves the way to removing packaging for a very significant percentage of calendars for future years.
- We are changing our mini box page-a-day magnetic calendars and removing all the plastic in the product and packaging.
Such efforts are also important to the brands and organisations that we work with, particularly those with an environmental focus. It is also gaining traction in the calendar industry as a whole, as the two products by us that were awarded at the recent 2019 Calies ceremony were both plastic-free packaged products. These changes are part of an overall wider environmental scheme from Carousel Calendars that seeks to: look at what other materials can be used as packaging, or even removing packaging altogether; continue to work with key partners to develop alternative solutions; and ensure all our plastic packaging is reusable or recyclable.