CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY AT IPC MEDIA

Corporate Responsibility (CR) at IPC focuses mainly on the company's interaction with the wider community, in particular the local area of Southwark, and on engaging with the environmental issues that affect our industry. We highly value our employees' input and involvement, including volunteering, contributing environmental ideas, and participating in the fundraising activities of IPC's magazine and digital teams.

In support of our CR programme, IPC is a member of Business in the Community (www.bitc.org.uk), The Media Trust (www.mediatrust.org), the Media CSR Forum (www.mediacsrforum.org) and the London Benchmarking Group (www.lbg-online.net).

IPC Media's Schools' Design Programme

IPC School Designers adding their mark to the pages of TV easy

Launched in 2005, this is IPC's flagship community project and complements our parent company Time Warner's community focus on youth and arts education. The programme targets secondary school students based in Southwark and involves several of our design professionals lending their creative skills in implementing an exciting and original graphic design and media course. The experience culminates in each participating student completing a week's work experience at IPC.

IPC works with Creative Partnerships in managing and delivering the programme. Set up by Arts Council England, Creative Partnerships aims to provide school children across England with the opportunity to develop creativity in learning and to take part in cultural activities of the highest quality.

For more information on Creative Partnerships, see www.creative-partnerships.com

The objectives for the Schools' Design Programme are to:
• Encourage secondary school students to view magazine design as an exciting career option
• Increase skills development in the area of graphic design
• Seek out opportunities to review students for longer work placements and potential support through higher education – creating the platform for future entry level employees
• Influence the skills development of teachers and the way that creative arts training is provided in schools
• Encourage employee participation through the inclusion of IPC designers in various aspects of the programme

Towards the end of 2007, we developed the programme further by partnering with the London College of Communication (LCC), part of the University of the Arts. This partnership will offer students participating in the programme a range of additional benefits, including an additional week's work experience at the university and mentor support from LCC students.

For more information on the LCC please see www.lcc.arts.ac.uk

Charity of the Year 2008 – BIBIC (British Institute for Brain Injured Children)

Following a company-wide vote in 2006, IPC chose BIBIC as its first charity of the year. In 2007 we decided to continue working with BIBIC for a further year, and as a result our partnership with the charity will continue until the end of 2008.

BIBIC is a national charity offering practical help to families caring for children with conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, developmental delay, traumatic and acquired brain injury and specific learning difficulties such as attention deficits hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia and dyspraxia. In addition to helping hundreds of children, they also run mobile clinics, UK-wide seminars and a national outreach service.

Company-wide fundraising activities so far have included a 'Money Can't Buy' auction, Christmas card sale, football tournament, wine tasting competition with Decanter magazine and numerous raffles and collection days. Some of our magazines, including InStyle, Woman's Own and Woman's Weekly, have also chosen to feature BIBIC thus increasing the benefit to the charity through its association with IPC.

For further information about BIBIC's work, see www.bibic.org.uk

Support for other charities
We do provide ad hoc support to other charities, either by making a financial or an in-kind donation. Such support is typically given to groups or organisations which are local to our offices or whose work is aligned with our key community priorities (young people, arts, education and literacy). A number of our magazines have also chosen one or more charities to support on an ongoing basis. Among many examples, woman&home has raised more than £2 million in the last three years, primarily through events in which their readers are involved.

Better Bankside
Better Bankside was formed in 2004 as a pilot 'Business Improvement District' in the area between Blackfriars Bridge and London Bridge. IPC is delighted to have the opportunity, since our move to Southwark Street, to contribute financially to Better Bankside and to be in a position to influence the improvement of the area for the benefit of residents and businesses alike.

IPC is represented on Better Bankside's Corporate Responsibility Group, which aims to facilitate businesses' involvement with the local community by supporting education, employment and environmental initiatives. The group has currently chosen to focus on charities and projects which support young people and their families, and is currently working closely with seven local charities.

We also participate in the Travel Planning Group, whose remit includes making the Borough Market area more pedestrian friendly and improving the provision of cycle parking. The group has also conducted a major survey of the travel habits of more than 600 local employees, the results of which will inform the forthcoming Bankside Travel Plan.

For further information on Better Bankside, please visit www.betterbankside.co.uk

ENVIRONMENT
As the leading publisher of consumer magazines in the UK, IPC is committed to minimising its environmental impact and ensuring that the company and its suppliers meet stringent environmental criteria.

IPC's Environment Committee

The IPC Environment Committee currently meets bi-monthly. It comprises representatives from IT, Facilities, Production, Publishing, Marketing, Distribution, Communications and the Staff Council, and is chaired by IPC's Chief Executive. The Committee is tasked with making environmental policy recommendations to the IPC Media Board and implementing good environmental practices across the company.

Key Impacts
1. Paper

IPC's aim is to purchase paper only from manufacturers who have adopted sustainable forestry practices and whose timber sourcing and paper production conform to established international standards such as the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) and the European Union's Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).

Current certification levels for paper purchased by IPC stand at above 80% and the company is working to increase this year-on-year.

The issue of recycled content in magazines is complex, and while IPC does publish two of its biggest weekly titles - What's on TV and TVeasy - on 100% recycled paper, it is not always possible to obtain the necessary grades of paper from recycled content for some of IPC's higher end products.

However IPC is represented on the PPA Production & Technology Committee and, together with relevant organisations, the Committee is constantly looking at new technologies that reduce the environmental impact of the production process.

In addition, IPC's distribution company, Marketforce, has made significant progress in saving paper through working with its wholesalers to look at patterns of supply and demand, which has resulted in over 15 million copies being taken out of circulation.

2. Waste Management
Recycling policy

As well as working to increase post-consumer recycling, IPC works with its wholesale partners to ensure that 100% of all unsold magazines are recycled. IPC's magazines form an important part of the recovery of fibre for the recycled paper industry, with the majority recycled into newsprint at two mills in the UK.

A range of recycling facilities are provided internally and many of our internal magazine copies are donated to local schools, hospitals and community organisations, thus increasing the re-use of our product.

Biodegradable packaging
IPC's magazines regularly use polypropylene bags to carry supplements and gifts that add value for the reader. Plastic bags are, of course, additional packaging and mean extra material going to the UK's already pressured landfill sites.

To combat this problem and reduce its environmental impact, IPC began using oxo-biodegradable plastic bags in January 2006. Now all plastic bags used for IPC's newsstand copies contain an additive which works to break down the bag over 18 months, even more quickly if the plastic is exposed to increased levels of heat, stress and light.

CPS Flexible produces the bags using a technology developed by Symphony Environmental called d2w®. This technology enables the plastic to break down by process of oxidation at a relatively quick rate, thus reducing the landfill burden. The versatility of this material makes it a viable alternative to conventional non-degradable plastic waste.

3. Carbon Management
Energy efficient office premises

The Blue Fin Building has received a “very good” score on the British environmental BREEAM carbon emissions rating – the highest score possible for a deep plan office in London. The name of the building reflects the 2,000 two-metre long blue aluminium panels that line the outside glass structure of the building, which shade the building and help keep its temperature consistent. The blue fins are specifically angled to reflect the sun at different times of the day and they make a key contribution to maximising the natural potential of the building. This design helps IPC hold down its energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As part of the office move, IPC has also developed a green travel policy for staff, including increased cycle parking and fewer car spaces.

Managing the carbon footprint of the magazine production process
Towards the end of 2007, IPC made a commitment to measure the carbon footprint of a small selection of our magazines, which should provide a representative sample of our portfolio as a whole. We anticipate that this project will take up to 18 months to complete, following which we will have a better understanding of the most energy-intensive aspects of the magazine-making process and be in a position to establish relevant reduction targets.

Industry Initiatives

In 2001, the Periodical Publishers' Association (PPA), of which IPC is a member, was part of an industry group that commissioned a report entitled “Mass Balance of the Magazine Publishing Sector in the UK”. This report summarised the material inputs and outputs of the magazine supply chain, including the emissions to air, and has since informed the industry and individual companies to look at ways of reducing the carbon footprint.

IPC is represented on the PPA's Environmental and Production & Technology Committees, where we play an active role in the environmental debate in the UK. As part of the PPA Production and Technology Committee, IPC plays an important role in working with the paper and print industry to seek out technologies that will further reduce greenhouse emissions.

IPC is also a signatory company to the PPA/Defra Voluntary Producer Responsibility Agreement which outlines commitments to increase the recycling rates for post-consumer magazines. As a result, PPA members have agreed to carry the Recycle Now logo in their magazines. In 2006, IPC issued best practice guidelines to all its magazines indicating the minimum size and ideal position of the logo, and we have now achieved 100% compliance with regard to the display of the logo.


IPC Insight unveils Green Matters

Our consumer research division IPC Insight unveiled the findings from a major research initiative in 2007. Green Matters investigated UK consumers' reactions to, and engagement with, the hot environmental issues currently setting the international agenda. Green Matters questioned a reader panel of over 3,000 men and women across the UK with a breadth of interests and perspectives, to find out what the British public really thinks about the issues surrounding the environment. The impact of travel, transport, energy use and shopping behaviour on the environment - as well as consumers' individual responsibility - all came under the spotlight.

Green Matters revealed some unexpected results. Overall, 88% of respondents claim to be concerned about the environment, but their predominant concern is for what directly affects them: the impact on their children. Climate change and global warming were of secondary importance. Neil Perkin, marketing & strategy director, said: “The environment is clearly one of the most important issues concerning governments, consumers and brands. Green Matters has unlocked a wealth of insight into how consumers really relate to the environmental debate - and it provides a wealth of clues as to how brands can really generate impact.”

For full details, go to http://www.ipcadvertising.com/thismonth/IPC_Insight_unveils_Green_Matters_article_116396.html

The Environment and our Magazines

In response to indications of an increased interest among readers in 'green' issues, a growing number of IPC titles now regularly feature relevant environmental articles. For example, in 2007 environmental advice was included in some of the women's weeklies and woman&home; Country Life dedicated an issue to climate change; Decanter ran a section on sustainable wine production and, in some of its travel features, Now has highlighted the carbon footprint of the journey, to help readers think about how to reduce it. Marie Claire also features regular environmental articles and, in its December issue, it launched a re-usable organic cotton shopping bag in association with 'We Are What We Do' to launch the social change movement's Plastic Ain't My Bag shopper. Other titles, among them NME, are considering the best way to engage on environmental issues with its readers and website viewers.

In addition, Livingetc ran an issue with the best of eco living ideas. Suzanne Imre, Editor of Livingetc, met with the then Secretary of State for the Environment, Rt Hon David Miliband MP in February 2007 to discuss environmental issues that would be of interest to Livingetc readers. Click here to read her blog:
http://www.livingetc.com/blogs/editors_blog/Tea_with_David_Miliband_article_111344.html.

Click here to download IPC's 2008 Environment Policy

IPC's Employee Volunteering Policy

IPC Volunteers getting stuck in!

IPC's Employee Volunteering Policy provides guidelines for approved time off for employees to take part in voluntary activities in the community – “Volunteer Release Time”. Eligible employees can request up to a maximum of two days' paid time-off per year.

Many IPC employees choose to use one of their volunteer release days to join with their colleagues and take part in the annual Time Warner Volunteer's Day. The day provides an opportunity for staff to help out at a local community organisation; lending physical labour to gardening projects or painting murals at a local children's playground.

Through IPC's membership of the Media Trust, an increasing number of employees are also using their unique skills to assist a charity. This may take the form of advising a charity on its marketing strategy, assisting them in devising a communications campaign or helping to develop a website, and the employee's involvement may consist of a one-off meeting or an ongoing relationship over a number of months.

Payroll Giving
IPC also supports its employees in donating to charity via its payroll giving scheme, 'Giving, etc'. Employees can either make regular contributions direct to their favourite charity or open a charity account which enables them to donate to any charity whenever they want.

IPC recently received a Bronze Award from the Charities Aid Foundation, recognising almost 4% employee participation in the company's Payroll Giving scheme.

Download Time Warner's 2008 Corporate Responsibility Report: www.timewarner.com/citizenship