ISSUES WITH INSERTS

I was pleased to read that future editions of BBC Countryfile

Magazine will be delivered in paper envelopes. Hopefully you will switch to compostable material at some point to avoid the cost and impact of the recycling process.

However, I was not pleased with the eight marketing inserts that came with my latest issue. The inclusion of this much extra material is something of a contradiction if you’re making efforts to reduce the ecological impact of your publication, notwithstanding the fact that it represents unsolicited marketing material.

I hope that you will reduce this practice in future. I would rather that your finances were transparent and pay a higher subscription price, than you rely

on more opaque financing from whatever profit is generated through carrying these inserts. Martin Shannon, via email

Editor Fergus Collins replies: We found that compostable material, such as potato starch, can have a surprisingly high carbon footprint compared to paper envelopes that come from a sustainable resource. After lengthy research, we found that the paper envelope offers, for us, the most economical and environmentally friendly option.

The inserts bring in essential advertising revenue. Under our licence, we pay a proportion of our revenue to the BBC and so we are obliged to take all opportunities to maximise income within BBC guidelines, including advertising inserts. As with all adverts in the magazine, each insert must go through a stringent regulatory process before being accepted. Insert paper must adhere to the same strict Forest Stewardship Council regulations as the paper used in the magazine.