Features Environment & Sustainability
Canadian publisher sets paper procurement standards

Torstar Corporation, publisher of the Toronto Star newspaper and Harlequin books, has launched corporate environmental purchasing principles to encourage suppliers to eliminate the use of fiber from ancient and endangered forests, and empower…

Torstar Corporation, publisher of the Toronto Star newspaper and Harlequin books, has launched corporate environmental purchasing principles to encourage suppliers to eliminate the use of fiber from ancient and endangered forests, and empower its business units with the option of expressing a preference for post-consumer recycled fiber. The company’s principles also encourage improvement of all forest certification systems with Forest Stewardship Council certification (FSC) as the target standard.

These principles apply to Harlequin, known globally for the publication of romance novels, as well as the Star Media Group and Metroland Media Group, which together publish over 125 newspapers across Canada. Harlequin publishes more than 110 titles a month in more than 114 international markets on six continents. 

Canopy, an environmental not-for-profit organization, collaborated with Torstar for several years and was engaged to support and advise on the development of these principles over the last 8 months.

“Torstar’s readers can now start their day with a hot cup of coffee and the newspaper and end it with an equally steamy romance novel, knowing that our planet’s forests are better off,” said Nicole Rycroft, Canopy founder and executive director. “As a global publishing leader, Torstar deserve congratulations for their corporate-wide approach to protecting forests through strong principles that guide their paper procurement,” she said.

Torstar has an environmental management structure including an Environmental Steering Committee comprised of senior representatives of various Torstar business units and four sub-committees to oversee the application of sustainability commitments throughout their operations.