All production and distribution of Mensch Publishing titles have been switched to digital print and distribution using Ingram’s global network and technology. No more stock moulderingin warehouses. No more wasteful returns from retailers. No more shipping to Australia, US etc – printed locally wherever feasible. Reduced CO2 emissions and constant availability everywhere for customers.
Relevant SDG’s
The Dutch PA’s GAU and MEVW jointly launched the sustainable publishing pledge ‘Handvest Duurzaam Publiceren’. By signing the pledge, publishers commit to several sustainability goals. The goal of GAU and MEVW is to contribute to the minimum of global warming to 1.5 °C, as agreed in the Paris Climate Agreement. We therefore want to reach a net zero CO2 emission level as soon as possible (and no later than 2050). GAU and MEVW see it as their responsibility to jointly bring about positive change.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Are you in aims to unite academia to make change happen. It was initiated by Emerald Publishing and sparked by a recognition that real change in academia can only happen when we join up and commit to working together. We’re asking people to join us in working towards a fairer, more equitable environment where research can have a real-world impact and those within it can reach their full potential. We outline six commitments where we can work together for change as part of this.
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Starting in January 2022, but backdated to our set-up in 2020, Renard has become one of the UK’s first carbon-positive publishers, having lowered our carbon usage to as close to zero, and over-offset by a fair margin, and has started planting a forest. We hope the move, a simple but effective strategy, will eventually become common practice in the industry, and we are sharing the knowledge we have gained in development, leaning on suppliers to encourage transparency in their carbon footprint.
Relevant SDG’s
SRL Publishing is the world’s first climate positive publisher, supporting projects which have the highest verification standards around the world, and also planting trees to replace the number of trees used for their products.
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During this special online conference, the topic “Together for sustainability in the book and media industry” was examined from different perspectives in order to discuss existing and new approaches. The program with keynotes, panel discussions and practical sessions were curated together with the editors of Börsenblatt, MVB’s trade magazine, and aimed at everyone who wants to help the book and media industry become more sustainable.
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The Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP) released the results of its 2018 survey measuring diversity in the English-language Canadian book publishing industry – the first survey of its kind in the country. Key findings of the survey were that people with indigenous and non-white backgrounds are underrepresented in the industry, with 82 percent of the respondents having identified as white. The survey also included data on age, gender identity, sexual orientation and disability.
Relevant SDG’s
In 2016, the Norwegian Publishers Association began to work on the topic “The green book trade.” Their goal has been to make it easier for publishers to choose their suppliers based on an internationally recognised set of criteria and guidelines. They developped a guide to the sustainable procurement of paper, an introduction on to procurement policies, a list of tools and measures to prevent the use of controversially sourced paper, and a system for rating individual books and paper quality.
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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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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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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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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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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.
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In 2015, Lee and Low Books released a survey on diversity conduced in 2015. The survey aimed to establish concrete statistics regarding diversity in the publishing workforce, and ask the question: if the people who work in publishing are not a diverse group, how can diverse voices be represented in books? It concluded that the workforce in North America was overwhelmingly white and straight. When the survey was repeated in 2019, the numbers reflected essentially the same demographic statistics.
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In 2017, the UK PA launched an industry-wide 10-point action plan to ensure that publishing reflects the UK population. As part of this plan, the PA committed to do an annual survey of the workforce demographics of UK publishing houses, the first of which took place in 2019. The survey gathered information on diversity, inclusion, and workforce demographics – such as gender balance, women in leadership roles, disabilities/impairments, mental health, education level, sexual orientation, and more.
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