The iconic mag, which will include an interview with Al Gore and a feature by environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will be printed on paper produced through a process that, according to Rolling Stone, creates zero CO2 emissions.

The magic paper, thinner than conventional newsprint, is produced by Catalyst – a Canadian manufacturer that has reportedly reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 82% since 2005.

But, according to The New York Times, environmentalists have not warmed to the magazine’s cooling efforts – not least because the latest ‘green issue’ to be published by a leading glossy will not be printed on recycled paper.

“Are the steps that Rolling Stone is taking good and important ones? Yes. But what I’m afraid they are doing in the process is diverting attention away from the need to use recycled paper,” said Frank Locantore, director of the Magazine Paper Project at Co-op America, a nonprofit group that works with publishers to reduce paper use. “All the evidence shows that the greatest ecological and social benefits come from using recycled paper.”

Rolling Stone responded by saying that, while they support the use of recycled paper, it just wasn’t suitable.

“We’re publishing some of the world’s greatest photographers and artists,” said Eric Bates, deputy managing editor of the magazine. “What we’re trying to do is what we can do. We can’t put out the magazine we put out on recycled paper.”

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