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The Springer Nature China New Development Awards were announced in 2019. This award recognises the contribution of Chinese research to international sustainable development, which is significant as China has one of the world’s fastest growing volume of scientific and scholarly research globally. 10 Chinese authors received the award in recognition for their research into areas such as climate change, economic development, eco-development and green intelligent transportation systems.

Relevant SDG’s

IPA SDG – Goal No 17 – Partnerships for the Goals

The Parliamentary Book Club is an initiative whereby Australians get to nominate a book they think their leaders must read. Launched in 2019, it invites all parliamentarians to read the selected book, and then participate in a meeting at Parliament House to join the author in a discussion of the book’s main themes. The intention is that the books will lay the foundation for discussion around aspects of Australian life, which could inform and inspire new ways of thinking.

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IPA SDG – Goal No 16 – Peace, justice and strong institutions

In a democracy, the rights of authors and publishers to create and distribute their works in complete freedom is critical. The IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee challenges violations and drives dialogue around issues related to the freedom to publish. The IPA also awards the prestigious Prix Voltaire to recognise exemplary courage in upholding the freedom to publish. Nominees have usually published controversial works amid pressure, threats, intimidation and harassment.

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IPA SDG – Goal No 16 – Peace, justice and strong institutions

Publishers mainly use plastic for shrink wrapping to protect books, magazines and journals during distribution and selling. However, some publishers have taken measures to reduce the use of plastic in their packaging. Springer Nature have in 2019 stopped wrapping all but the largest research books (where damage is more likely if unwrapped), reducing the number of units wrapped by 1.2 million and replaced two million plastic wallets, used for CDs, with paper alternatives.

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IPA SDG – Goal No 15 – Life on land

The book Plastic. Past, Present and Future, written by Eun-Ju Kim, illustrated by Ji-won Lee, was originally published by Woongijn Thinkbig. The English translation was published in June 2019 by Scribe UK. This book takes the reader on a journey through the life cycle of plastic, from production to waste. It explains how plastic survives, and why it is harmful to our environment.

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IPA SDG – Goal No 14 – Life below water

Author Lauren St. John also launched the website Authors4Oceans, containing tips to how to reduce plastic waste. The authors and illustrators who are part of the initiative are passionate about the natural world and preserving it for future generations. They are committed to ridding their lives and communities of plastic and unsustainable practices wherever possible, and inspiring young (and old) readers to do the same.

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IPA SDG – Goal No 14 – Life below water

The Book Chain Project, since 2016 has aimed to build better supply chains for books and help publishers make informed buying decisions. The Component Chemical Screening program, for instance, enables print suppliers to submit exact chemical breakdowns of each book component that can then be screened and flagged to publishers in order to substitute any components of concern.

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IPA SDG – Goal No 12 – Responsible consumption and productionIPA SDG – Goal No 14 – Life below water

The Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, including publishing houses Droemer Knaur, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt, S. Fisher and Argon, announced in the beginning of March 2020 that they are labelling their new books with a new green logo on climate neutrality, referring to the klimaneutralerverlag.de (climatneutralpubliser), and committing to climate neutral production and transparency in climate communication.

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IPA SDG – Goal No 13 – Climate action

In Autumn 2019, 4000 high schools across metropolitan France participated in a mass recycling operation. As part of the French Baccalaureate reform, shcools had to renew textbooks for two school leves. As a result of this eco-friendly initiative, textbooks that had been removed from the curriculum were sorted and transformed into raw materials by Veolia (a global firm specializing in resource management and circular economy) and ultimately transformed into recycled paper.

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IPA SDG – Goal No 12 – Responsible consumption and production

In 2020, due to the travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s largest book fair took place in a hybrid format. Though the book fair’s traditional on-site exhibition was cancelled, an extensive digital programme for publishing professionals was available, as well as exciting online events for international readers. Thus people could still experience the international exchange the book fair normally provides, even with the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Relevant SDG’s

IPA SDG – Goal No 12 – Responsible consumption and production

The Incredible Book Machine is a book bus which travels around different Brazilian provinces, allowing readers to interchange books they’ve already read for new ones at the press of a button. The goal of The Incredible Book machine is to stimulate reading and the reuse of books in both adults and children, and is a collaboration between Infinito Cultural and the Brazilian Book Chamber. The project is linked to several SDGs, including education, poverty and literary.

Relevant SDG’s

IPA SDG – Goal No 12 – Responsible consumption and production

In 2018, as evidence of their commitment to the SDGs, the French Publishers Association presented a Survey on the Environment and Manufacturing (covering the time between 2015-2018). The report concluded that French publishers have gradually adopted more eco-responsible policies throughout their supply chain – such as an increase in the purchase or use of certified or recycled paper for textbooks, for instance.

Relevant SDG’s

IPA SDG – Goal No 9 – Industry, Innovation and InfrastructureIPA SDG – Goal No 12 – Responsible consumption and production