A reduced size Yellow Pages directory has been distributed to households and businesses on the Isle of Wight and in central London as part of ongoing efforts by its distributor Yell to save paper and drive down waste.
The introduction of the smaller directory – which is gradually being rolled out nationwide (see letsrecycle.com story) – is expected to reduce Yell's annual paper consumption from production by around 5,000 tonnes in comparison with the 2009/10 financial year consumption of 31,000 tonnes.
Further efficiencies in packaging are also hoped to reduce the number of lorry journeys delivering the 104 separate local directory editions during the year by more than a third, helping to reduce CO2 emissions.
The move by Yell to deliver smaller directories comes in the wake of consumer research pointing to the need for smaller directories.
It also follows criticism by the Local Government Association concerning the delivery of “needless” phone directories which it claimed cost councils £7.5 million a year to dispose of (see letsrecycle.com story)
Yellow Pages directories contain on average 60% recycled fibre content with the virgin pulp comprising the rest of the directory sourced from sustainably-managed forests.
Collaboration
Yell has been working in collaboration with local authorities throughout the UK to help increase the number of old Yellow Pages directories which are recycled. Currently, almost 100% of councils in the UK provide some form of recycling facilities for old Yellow Pages directories, of which 96% are kerbside collections.
In the last financial year (2009/10) the recycling rate for Yellow Pages directories was 76%, with a landfill diversion rate of 93%.
Phil Johnson, head of printed product management at Yell commented on the change: “This is a hugely important development for Yellow Pages, reflecting the preferences of our consumers when searching for local businesses in their area.”
“Our research shows that households and businesses find a modern compact directory a very handy format and this offers the potential for driving further usage. This ensures too that we continue to provide strong value to our advertisers by helping generate sales leads for them, in turn making a substantial contribution to local economies.”
Subscribe for free