In pursuit of a more sustainable future, industries are increasingly seeking ways to incorporate environmental and social responsibility into their operations. The book industry is no exception, and the BIC Environmental Accreditation Badges and Standards Map aims to make progress in this area. Developed as part of the BIC Green Supply Chain Committee, this project offers a comprehensive overview of sustainability accreditation badges and standards relevant to the book industry supply chain.

The purpose of this project was to assess the recycling and waste programs that are used in the UK book industry and report on the materials being disposed of vs recycled, the carbon footprint impact of books etc. The project report will help identify the points in the UK book industry supply chain lifecycle
where recycling/waste occurs and list the materials involved at these stages.

Launched at London Book Fair in 2023, the RISE bookselling have produced a publishing sector study that features seven case studies of how book returns work in European and international countries. The study seeks to understand the returns systems and how this impacts the environment.

An awareness raising campaign that helps authors discuss the sustainability of their books with publishers, with the help of ten questions about their book’s production and supply chain. A key aim is to drive traffic towards Publishing Declares, which is prominently signposted.

The carbon-label project, the first output from the Publishing 2030 Accelerator, fast-tracked established carbon calculators and combined this with a customized web page for a particular book, that gives users a glimpse into how carbon labels and reporting might look like for book production. Now, this is only a prototype. Far more work is needed to make this a reality, and the Accelerator group are now working on new pilots for 2023.

The Publishers Association (UK) has launched its bespoke Carbon Calculator, part of a suite of tools, designed to support its members in acting on the Publishing Declares pledge. The tool will allow members to monitor their carbon outputs across various aspects of their business, including different sites. Members will be able to use the Carbon Calculator to review how they are performing from a sustainability perspective. Over time, with further data, publishers will be able to be benchmark

The Manifesto was officially published in full in the EASE journal, European Science Editing, in October 2021. It includes a quick check table for editors, publishers, or any interested individuals, to assess their activities and identify possible changes to their daily practices which would lead to more sustainable habits. The Manifesto is a work in progress, with new initiatives being added in regular reviews, including examples of good practice from EASE members.