PLASTICS MONTHLY · UK TRADE PRESS INROADS · BUILD #98

Plastics Monthly & the UK Trade Press Playbook

Eight UK trade publications cover plastics, recycling, EPR, and waste-management policy. Three of them gate every conversation worth having. Below: who they are, what each editor wants, the exact pitch templates, and the 12-week sequence to land a feature in the title that matters most — Plastics Monthly.

→ /ciwm-engagement → /section-59 → /section-59-acquisition → /industry-inroads-hub

UK Plastics Titles

That Move The Market

12 wk

Pitch → Print

£0

Editorial Costs You

01The 8 UK plastics & recycling titles · ranked by reach

Tier 1 = market-moving · Tier 2 = useful credibility · Tier 3 = niche

1 · Plastics Monthly

plasticsmonthly.com

Tier 1Reach

MonthlyCadence

FreeSubscription

UK's flagship industrial-plastics title. Covers manufacturing, recycling, materials, machinery, regulation. dPRN sits dead-centre of their EPR/recycling beat. Target: monthly feature within 6 months.

Pitch lane: features@plasticsmonthly.com · 600-1,200 words · always include data + one named UK customer.

2 · MRW · Materials Recycling World

mrw.co.uk

Tier 1Reach

WeeklyCadence

PaywalledSubscription

The trade title every UK waste director reads on Monday morning. Covers EPR reform, PRN/PERN markets, contracts, M&A. Most influential outlet for permit-holder visibility.

Pitch lane: news@mrw.co.uk · news-of-the-week tone · 250-400 words · embargo if you can.

3 · Lets Recycle

letsrecycle.com

Tier 1Reach

DailyCadence

FreeSubscription

Free daily news service · highest-traffic UK recycling site. Fast turnaround. Editor will publish a well-shaped product launch within 48 hours.

Pitch lane: editor@letsrecycle.com · short release · always include a quote and one number.

4 · Resource Magazine

resource.co

Tier 2Reach

QuarterlyCadence

FreeSubscription

CIWM-owned. Doctrine-friendly. Long-form policy pieces land here. Best for "how the market should work" arguments.

Pitch lane: editor@resource.co · 800-1,500 words · co-author with academic if first time.

5 · Recycling Today (UK edition)

recyclingtoday.com/uk

Tier 2Reach

MonthlyCadence

FreeSubscription

US parent · UK edit. Stronger on materials markets and pricing. Good for dPRN price-discovery angles.

Pitch lane: uk@recyclingtoday.com · 500-900 words · price-data-led.

6 · Circular (CIWM)

ciwm-journal.co.uk

Tier 2Reach

Bi-monthlyCadence

MembersSubscription

CIWM membership magazine. Already covered in /ciwm-engagement. Doctrine + case studies.

Pitch lane: via CIWM membership portal · 800 words · case-study format wins.

7 · British Plastics & Rubber

britishplastics.co.uk

Tier 3Reach

MonthlyCadence

FreeSubscription

Manufacturing-leaning. Useful for upstream-resin angles. Less recycling-policy weight.

Pitch lane: editor@britishplastics.co.uk · 400-800 words · machinery / process angle.

8 · CIWM Newsletter

ciwm.co.uk/newsletter

Tier 3Reach

WeeklyCadence

MembersSubscription

Fastest publishing path inside CIWM. 250-word slot. Best for product launches and award shortlist announcements.

Pitch lane: via CIWM membership portal.

02The 12-week sequence · pitch → print in Plastics Monthly

The exact actions, in order, that turn cold inbox into a printed feature

Week 1 · Read 6 back issues Free online. Map the recurring beats: EPR, recycled content mandates, machinery launches, plant openings. Find the gap dPRN fills.
Week 2 · Comment on 3 LinkedIn posts From Plastics Monthly editorial team. Substantive comments only. Establish recognition before the cold pitch.
Week 3 · Send the warm pitch email Use the template below. Subject line is the headline. Decision arrives in 2-10 working days.
Week 4 · Follow up once If silence: forward original mail with one line — "Bumping in case helpful — happy to drop or adjust angle."
Week 5-6 · Draft the piece on commission 800-1,200 words. Include: 1 named UK customer, 1 data table, 1 image, 1 quote from outside party. Submit 3 days early.
Week 7 · Edit pass Editor returns track-changes. Accept all stylistic edits without quibble. Defend only the 2-3 facts that matter.
Week 8 · Approve proof PDF arrives. Check name spelling, URL, image caption. Reply within 4 hours.
Week 9-10 · Print issue lands Order 50 copies (~£3 each). Send to: 5 prospects, 10 CIWM contacts, 3 EA officers, 5 trade-association leads.
Week 11 · Amplify Post screenshot of headline on LinkedIn. Tag the magazine, the editor, two named industry figures. Pin for 7 days.
Week 12 · Re-pitch Send second pitch with different angle. The third one almost always lands without follow-up.

03The pitch templates · copy these · adjust the names

Three templates · feature pitch · news pitch · expert-comment offer

Template A · Feature pitch · Plastics Monthly Subject: Pitch — How dPRN closes the £140m EPR data gap (feature, 1,000 words) Hi [editor first name], I've been reading Plastics Monthly's coverage of the 2024 EPR transition — particularly the [specific piece title] in the [month] issue. I run CircularOS — a UK-built digital PRN platform that issues verified, blockchain-anchored Producer Responsibility Notes at £450/tonne, with a built-in social-impact link (40 meals per tonne). We're seeing something your readers will care about: under the current paper-PRN system, ~18% of reported tonnage is unverifiable. Our dPRN closes that gap with mass-balance proofs that cost less per tonne than current verification. I'd like to pitch a 1,000-word feature for your next EPR issue: Working title: "The £140m gap in UK EPR — and what closes it" Angle: data-led, regulatory-grounded, with one named UK customer Includes: 1 chart · 1 case study · 1 quote from [named EA officer] Delivered: within 14 days of go-ahead Happy to adjust angle to fit your editorial calendar. Free to call this week between [times]. Thanks, [Name] · CircularOS [Phone] · [Email] · [Website]

Template B · News pitch · Lets Recycle / MRW Subject: News — UK platform issues 1,000th dPRN, hits £450k verified tonnage Hi [editor first name], Quick news note for tomorrow if useful: • CircularOS — UK-based digital PRN platform — has issued its 1,000th verified dPRN • Cumulative verified tonnage: 1,000 tonnes · gross value £450,000 • Social impact link: 40,000 meals funded via VMR (Verified Meal Receipt) • First Tier-2 processor signed: [name] · West Midlands • Quote available from [Founder name], CEO, CircularOS Embargoed until 09:00 UK [day]. Happy to share full data tables. [Name] · [phone]

Template C · Expert-comment offer · all titles Subject: Expert comment available — EPR reform / dPRN / Section 59 / CBAM Hi [editor first name], Adding myself to your contributor list in case useful for upcoming pieces. Areas I can speak to with on-record quotes within 4 hours: • UK EPR reform · pEPR · paper-PRN failures • Section 59 permit transfer market · grandfathered permits • CBAM × plastics · carbon-border interaction • dPRN architecture · digital traceability · ZKP for materials • Three-Engine Architecture (50/50 Node · Carrot · PRN Concierge) I run CircularOS — happy to send press kit, data sheets, or photo on request. [Name] · [phone] · [email]

04What editors actually want · the 5-test pitch filter

If your pitch fails any of these five tests, it goes in the bin within 8 seconds

1 · One number

Every pitch needs a single, sharp, defensible number. £450/tonne. 18% unverifiable. 1,000th dPRN. No number = no story.

2 · One name

A real, named UK customer / regulator / academic. Permission obtained. Otherwise the editor calls it vapour.

3 · One time-peg

What just happened? Or what is about to happen? "Last week" or "next month" — never "ongoing."

4 · One image

Hi-res. Free to use. Editors will reject pitches with no usable photo because it costs them production time.

5 · One quote

15-25 words. Speakable out loud. Not corporate. Editors paste these without editing — make it good.

The bonus · brevity

Pitch under 220 words. Subject line is the headline. Body is the deck. Editor decides in 8 seconds.

05The 12-month editorial calendar · pitch the right thing in the right month

Trade titles plan 8-12 weeks ahead. Pitch in the right window or wait a year.

Month	Plastics Monthly theme	Best dPRN pitch
Jan	Year-ahead outlook	"5 things UK plastics will face in 202X — and the data layer that handles each"
Feb	Recycling technology	dPRN verification stack · Truth Ledger explainer
Mar	EPR & regulation special	The £140m EPR gap feature · highest-yield month
Apr	Materials & resins	Mass-balance / AML ledger piece
May	Resource & Waste Live preview	Pre-event op-ed · pitch by mid-March
Jun	Show review issue	Recap with named conversations · pitch from the floor
Jul	Sustainability report	40-meals-per-tonne social-impact angle
Aug	Quiet month	Founder profile / case study (less competition)
Sep	Back-to-business	Section 59 permit succession feature
Oct	Awards / year-in-review	CIWM shortlist announcement
Nov	Budget & policy reaction	CBAM × plastics × dPRN reaction piece
Dec	Christmas double	Year-in-review op-ed · pitch by mid-October

06The press kit you must have ready before any pitch

If an editor says yes and you take more than 24 hours, you lose the slot

Boilerplate · 75 words

One-paragraph "what CircularOS is." Updated quarterly. Bottom of every release.

Founder photo · 3 versions

Headshot · environmental · with-product. 300dpi · CMYK + RGB · free-use rights stated.

Logo pack

SVG · PNG transparent · monochrome · light + dark backgrounds.

Data sheet · 1 page

£450/tonne · 40 meals · verification rate · cumulative tonnage. Updated monthly.

3 quotes ready

Pre-approved on-record. Cover EPR · Section 59 · social impact. Update quarterly.

Customer reference list

3 named UK customers willing to take a 10-min press call. Refresh permission every 6 months.

"Editors don't owe you coverage. They owe their readers a story. Bring them the story — sharp, sourced, and short — and the coverage handles itself."