Responsible Management

Responsible Management is one of Emerald’s 4 goals areas designed to promote research leading to a more ethical, responsible, and sustainable ways of working. Our commitment to the SDGs is showcased via our theme-based missions focussing on key interdisciplinary topics for decent work for all. We use a broad array of outputs to reach a wider audience beyond academia and are committed to make research open to all as illustrated by our innovative Open Research platform with its 6 gateways.

Relevant SDG’s

IPA SDG – Goal No 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities

PRISME (book packages bundling platform)

The French Book Chain uses a single logistics platform called Prisme where all the packages of books to be delivered to bookstores out of Paris, Belgium and in Luxembourg are gathered and sorted out. This allows bundling the flows of books to bookstores as well as returns, as therefore lowering shipping fees and contributing to a cleaner environment. It is currently used by 350 publishers/ distributors and 2500 booskellers.

Relevant SDG’s

IPA SDG – Goal No 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Book Chain Project

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.

Relevant SDG’s

Climate Neutral Publisher Logo (klimaneutralerverlag.de)

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.

Relevant SDG’s

Écogeste Lycées 2019

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.

Relevant SDG’s

The Incredible Book Machine

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

Frankfurt Book Fair 2020 – Special Edition

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

French Publishers Associaion Survey on the Environment and Manufacturing

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

The GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard

Different organizations and publishers have adopted the GHG protocol standard as a way of allowing them to understand, calculate, and track their carbon footprint. This standard has three phases in which organisations can commit to tracking and reporting on carbon emissions. Hachette Livre, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Otava Publishing Company and Bertelsmann have set targets for reducing their carbon emissions and switching their operations to rely on green energy.

Relevant SDG’s

Special Online Virtual Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2020

Due to the travel restrictions imposed by COVID-19 pandemic, the 57th Bologna Children’s Book Fair became a special online virtual event attended by 60,000 visitors (75 percent of non-Italians) with over 400,000 pageviews. The online platform also enabled business to continue with 500 publishers registered on the Global Rights Exchange platform. The success of this virtual event means that the implemented platforms will now become one of the fair’s permanent assets.

Relevant SDG’s

Klima og Litteratur Festival

Klima og Litteratur (Climate and Literature), a literary climate festival, held in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2019 ensured all visiting authors came by bus or train and no programs or posters were printed for the event with promotion done through social media. Th

Relevant SDG’s

Egmont Social Compliance Programme

In 2005, Egmont, a Danish publisher, implemented the Egmont Social Compliance Programme to ensure that all suppliers respect human rights and safeguard the salary conditions and safety of their workers. The programme includes, for instance, the mapping of manufacturers; their health and safety assessments, social audits, and their compliance to the Egmont code of conduct. The resulting information, along with a report of their CO2 emissions has been compiled into a report.

Relevant SDG’s

IPA SDG – Goal No 8 – Decent work and Economic Growth

Plastic Free: The Inspiring Story of a Global Environmental Movement and Why It Matters

‘Plastic Free: The Inspiring Story of a Global Environmental Movement and Why It Matters’ by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz and Joanna Atherfold-Finn is published by NewSouth in Australia. It is printed and packaged without using plastic. Dry trap varnish is used on the cover rather than plastic lamination. The reverse side of the board, effectively the rough, uncoated side, gives the cover added texture. Metal straps are used to secure the book boxes on pallets. All plastic shrink-wrapping is avoided.

Relevant SDG’s

2017 Environment Guidelines for the whole book chain

Environment Guidelines for the whole book chain:
a. Design
b. Paper
c. Printing
d. Reprints
e. Storage
f. Transport
g. Marketing

Relevant SDG’s

Clean night delivery scheme

Within the Paris region, transportation by night in order to save costs, increase the productivity and have a positive impact on the environment by the use of silent and environment friendly vehicles.

Relevant SDG’s

Survey on publishers’ consumption of paper

Survey on publishers’ consumption of paper: Every other year, since 2013. In 2018, 95% of paper used was PEFC or FSC certified or recycled.

Relevant SDG’s

Principles of Publishing

“Our Principles of Publishing” document prepared by TPA aims to support the publishing industry and its stakeholders to accept and apply the stated principles to achieve common nominators of more equal individuals and institutions in terms of race, color, ethnic origins, age, religion, beliefs, disability status, gender, sexual identity, and sexual orientation. It also sets the rules for professional conduct.

Relevant SDG’s