THE Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard have become two of the most environmentally-produced papers in the world. Archant, the parent company of the Cambs Times/Wisbech Standard, has signed a contract with Palm Paper which means all 30,000 tonnes of paper it

THE Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard have become two of the most environmentally-produced papers in the world.

Archant, the parent company of the Cambs Times/Wisbech Standard, has signed a contract with Palm Paper which means all 30,000 tonnes of paper it uses each year will come from within Norfolk, rather than from Russia, North America and Scandinavia.

The paper, made from 100% recycled paper fibre, will travel from King's Lynn to Norwich and the delivery lorry will return with a full load of waste paper from Archant, and others, for recycling.

Palm Paper has finished the biggest newsprint machine plant in the world, a �400million investment, and Archant Print became its first customer in a deal which means only Palm Paper will be used to produce Archant's four daily and 60 weekly newspapers.

Herts and Cambs Managing Director, Stuart McCreery, said: "This is great news for readers and advertisers. The quality of the paper is excellent and the added bonus of assisting Archant in its sustainability objectives means a lot to us.

"We have used several paper suppliers in past years which has often delivered variable quality, albeit of a high standard, this deal will ensure consistency in quality for us throughout the year."

Archant chief executive, Adrian Jeakings, said: "We are developing a strong relationship which we hope will prosper in the future. The cultures of the two companies are very closely aligned as both are independent family-owned businesses. The deal is good news for the environment and part of a wider programme of sustainability within Archant."

Archant Print Managing Director Nick Schiller said: "There are considerable benefits beyond the environmental issues, as it gives us a very high quality sheet and we can optimize our production processes for it. We will be using 100 per cent recycled paper."

Archant Print has also notched up a first for the regional newspaper printing industry by retaining prestigious external accreditation for quality, environmental and health and safety standards. It is believed to be the only UK regional publisher to have achieved them all at the same time and has now done it again a year later with one external assessor saying: "this is one of the best manufacturing plants in the whole country."

Many organisations - like councils, for example - demand proof of quality, environmental and health and safety standards before agreeing to do business, so retaining accreditation sends a strong message to customers, shareholders and the industry.

Senior Production Manager Clive Want commented: "We believe these standards are all linked, so why not attain them together? It's all about creating the right culture."

The accreditations are: ISO 9001:2000 Standard (Quality Management System), the ISO 14001:2004 Standard (Environmental Management System) and the BS OHSAS 18001:2007 Standard (Health and Safety Management system).