The Beermat Blog

It is perhaps appropriate, that when Bath & North East Somerset Council wanted to launch a campaign highlighting the need to recycle, that they should include beermats as one part of their media campaign. This is because, apart from the obvious benefit of full-colour, litho-printed beermat being able to deliver a message with impact, beermats also 100% recyclable. Clearly demonstrating that Bath & North East Somerset Council practice what they preach.

The council used buses to deliver their message, as well as posters and beermats which were distributed to local businesses. Funding for this initiative was been granted by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) established to promote resource efficiency.

A not-for-profit company, WRAP is backed by substantial Government funding from Defra and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Apart from being 100% recyclable, it is also worth noting that genuine beermats are produced from wood-pulp. The pulp is typically constructed from a mix of recycled paper pulp (about 85%) and Scandinavian indigenous softwood. The softwood is typically purchased from forests that adhere to the sustainable forestry programme, where more trees are planted, than felled.

Genuine pulp-wood beermats can be designed, manufactured and printed by UK based beermat manufacturers such as Thirstys.co.uk Limited, an established beermat company based in the Midlands.

Tegestology is a Latin term defined as the practice of ‘collecting beermats or coasters’, with collectors known as tegestologists . Typically testologists will concentrate on historical or social changes within specific time frames, designs, topics, use and of course the engineering processes used in their production. Many of these collectors will have huge collections and many of them spend a great deal of time exchanging series mats, swapping information sources and there is also a brisk trade in the re-sale of specific beermats.

Testologists will also collect beermats with spelling errors, which are particularly sought after, as well as those printed in different languages and those used to ‘proof’ the print priot to going to press.

Ian Calvert published a book in 2006 titled A Guide to Collecting Beermats and this is an excellent resource for experienced testologists or those that want to join the club as a serious collector. There are also a number of websites devoted to testologists, these would include the British Beermat Collectors Society, as well as the International Collectors Association, based in Germany. There are also, amongst others, two based in Australia, these are the ’South Australian Coaster Collectors Club’ and the ’New South Wales Coaster Collectors Club’.

Some beermat manufacturers have sections within their websites specifically aimed at beermat collectors, some include links to the testologists own websites and many beermat manufacturers will happily provide samples to collectors.

Thanks to fellow blogger ‘All About Beermats‘ for permission to reproduce this article