Green Books Campaign: Green Press Initiative presents the progress made so far in the book industry

Some people asked me about the importance of the Green Books Campaign in the era of e-books. Well, for us it's very simple: Although there’s so much hype around e-books, books printed on paper still dominate the book market, and we want them to be as environmentally sound as possible.

Their share is still relatively small, but you can find a growing number of books printed responsibly and we hope this initiative will bring more exposure to such books. Through this campaign we want to encourage publishers to increase their green printing options and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books.

One of the important forces behind the progress made so far in the book industry and the growing number of books that are printed in an eco-friendly manner is Green Press Initiative (GPI).

GPI is supporting the Green Books Campaign and we asked our friends at GPI to tell us about their work with the book industry and the progress the industry has made in the last decade. Their website is also a great resource to learn more about the environmental impacts of the book industry and the solutions and we included some links you are welcome to look at below.

Green Press Initiative (GPI) is a non-profit program committed to reducing the environmental impacts of the book industry. For nearly 10 years, GPI has worked collaboratively with book publishers and their suppliers to reduce pressure on endangered forests, protect forest dependent communities and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

As a result of the efforts by Green Press Initiative and leaders in the book industry, there has been significant progress as is outlined below:

- Approximately 50% of publishers (by market share) have environmental policies in place

- Nearly 230 publishers have endorsed the Book Industry Treatise on Environmentally Responsible Publishing or developed a policy with similar goals

The Book Industry Environmental Council has established an industry-wide goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 20% below 2006 levels by 2020 with a long term target of an 80% reduction by 2050.

- Post-consumer recycled fiber in book papers has increased from 2.4% in 2004 to 13.3 percent in 2007.

- Many publishers have been able to significantly increase their use of recycled fiber or FSC certified paper without significant cost premiums.

- Nearly 50 new paper grades with strong environmental attributes have been developed in response to the demand from publishers with environmental policies.

GPI has played a leading role in helping to educate book industry stakeholders about the social and environmental impacts of the book industry as well the solutions that can help reduce these impacts. Towards this end, GPI has worked with publishers, book printers and paper manufacturers to increase the use of recycled fiber and paper that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council which guarantees that it is sourced from well managed forests.

Green Press Initiative has worked with nearly 230 publisher to develop environmental policies or endorse The Book Industry Treatise on Environmentally Responsible Publishing, which outlines environmental goals for the book industry. This treatise has also been endorsed by six paper manufacturers and nearly 30 printers.

In another efforts to catalyze progress in the book industry, GPI founded and now coordinates the Book Industry Environmental Council (BIEC). The BIEC consists of many of the largest book publishers, book printers and paper suppliers as well as a number of nonprofit organizations that have a focus on the book industry.

The BIEC provides a multi-stakeholder forum to discuss and implement plans to track and reduce the environmental impacts of the book industry, including setting an industry wide greenhouse gas reduction target, developing a plan to reduce the number of books that are landfilled, and developing a system to annually track key environmental metrics of the industry.

To learn more about Green Press Initiative or solutions to reduce the social and environmental impacts of the book industry please visit www.greenpressinitiative.org

We want to thank again GPI for their support of the campaign and assistance in getting the word out!

More links on their website:

The impacts of the book industry:

1. On endangered forests

2. On climate change

3. On people

Solutions - Responsible paper

The Book Industry Treatise on Environmentally Responsible Publishing

Book Publishers toolkit for responsible paper use

The Campaign's page is www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign2010.asp .You can also follow the campaign on Facebook and twitter.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting green reading!

Scholastic make an impressive progress to meet their sustainable paper procurement goals

Good new from Scholastic - the global children's publishing, education and media company announced that significant progress has been made toward the company-wide sustainable goals!

Scholastic announced in January 2008 the following goals for 2012: to increase its purchase of FSC-certified paper for its publications to 30% and its use of recycled paper to 25%, of which 75% would be post-consumer waste.

Their progress toward these goals is impressive as you can learn from the data detailed on their press release (and thanks to Environmental Leader for the link):

FSC-certified paper (goal: 30% of all paper purchasing)

In 2008, Scholastic purchased 89,378 tons of paper of which 17,608 tons, or 19.7%, was FSC-certified, up from 4% in 2007.

Recycled paper (goal: 25%, of which 75% would be post-consumer waste)

In 2008 13,496 tons, or 15.1%, of the paper purchased was produced from recovered fiber, up from 13% in 2007, and of that amount, 11,258 tons, or 83%, was produced from PCW fiber, up from 77% in 2007.

In other words they're already made two thirds of the way toward their goal and have 3 years to do the remaining third. In other words, they can reach it earlier if they'll continue to move forward so rapidly.

Corey Brinkema, President of FSC-US is quoted in the press release saying "Last year Scholastic made an industry-leading commitment to forest stewardship with its goals for sourcing FSC-certified and recycled paper". Is Scholastic's goals can be considered "an industry-leading commitment"? well, the answer is actually Yes.

Scholastic's mean that more of half of the paper they will use in 2012 will come from sustainable resources (FSC-certified or recycled paper). This is more ambitious than the commitments of other big publishers such as Random House or Simon & Schuster (see more details on their commitments on our book publishing page).

Scholastic's commitment is also similar to the one defined by the Green Press Initiative on their Industry Treatise, which was signed so far by 180 publishers, merchants and mills and include among others the following goals:

• Shifting the book industry's collective average use of recycled fiber from an estimated 5% recycled average at present to a 30% recycled industry average by 2012 (a majority to be postconsumer).
• Shifting to book industry’s collective average use of paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or equivalent certification system to 20% by 2012.

The only piece of data missing is how much carbon emissions have Scholastic manage to reduce so far. They don't have a goal in terms of carbon reductions but I'm wondering if following the announcement of the Book Industry Environmental Council last April on goals for cutting the U.S. book industry's greenhouse gas emissions in 20% by 2020 (from a 2006 baseline) with the intent of achieving an 80% reduction by 2050, Scholastic will add it to their set of goals. In all, it looks like they're in a good position to meet and even exceed this goal.

So kudos to Scholastic for their ongoing efforts and achiements and we hope to see many more of the big publishers following suit.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainable reading!

Why BookExpo America is not going greener? is going green only a luxury of the (relatively) good days?

BookExpo America (BEA) will begin next Thursday (May 28) in NYC. This is the largest book industry event in North America with over 1,500 exhibitors from 37 countries, and one of the largest gatherings of English language publishers in the world. We'll be there as well!

The BEA will also have special industry and author events, including some green content. But this year the green content is much more limited in comparison with last year, and we're wondering why is that? is going green only a luxury of the (relatively) good days? is no longer relevant during economic recession?

If you recall Eylon's reports from last the 2008 BEA in Los Angeles, there were several panels about green issues, including Buying, Packaging & Publishing Green Books: The Publishers' Perspective, Environmental Trends: Where Does the U.S. Book Industry Stand Today?, Investing in a Sustainable World: How the Green Revolution will Create New Industries, Opportunities, Economies and Fortunes, and so on.

This year there's only one - Publishing Green: A Recipe for Success in Tough Times. This panel will be held on Saturday, May 30 between 9:30-10:30. The participants will be Todd Pollak, Program Manager, Green Press Initiative (moderator), Steve Geck, Exec Editor, Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins, Charles Melcher, founder, Melcher Media and Pete Datos, Vice President, Strategic Planning & Publishing Operations, Hachette Book Group.

So why we see a reduction in the number of the panels? what happened to the green spirit that we thought was ruling last year's BEA? my guestimation is that in times where the industry is struggling to keep its head above the water, discussions on green issues look a little bit less relevant or maybe even unrealistic, as going green may be associated with increased costs.

BUT, is it true?

Well I guess the participants in the panel will provide some answers from their own experience, so it would definitely be worthwhile to attend the panel. Other than that the book industry in many ways is no different than most of the industries, and therefore the basics of how going green can benefit a business apply here.

And these benefits include:

1. Driving revenues up

2. Enhancing intangible value

3. Cutting costs

4. Reducing risk

It actually looks like in times like these, such benefits are actually more important and more attractive. Who wouldn't like now to drive revenues up of cut costs? and if it helps the environment at the same time, creating win-win solutions that's even better! That's I guess the same logic President Obama sees in his policy to promote green solutions.

So in all, it seems like going green can be the remedy or at least a significant part of it. And with the upcoming regulation that will put price tag on carbon emissions, it looks like there will be even more economic reasoning why going green and reducing your carbon footprint is the right thing to do. Some in the industry already move forward in this direction.

But general observation is not enough and the burden of proof is still on our shoulders - can you do well by doing good? can you create shared value benefiting both your business and the environment/society? we think the answers are YES and following the BEA we intend to get more into the benefits we presented above and provide you with more specifics on how you can gain them by going green.

We will start with bringing you updates and news from the BEA and of course from the green panel we mentioned. So stay tuned and let us know what you think about this issue. We'll be happy to receive your feedback!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

Green news for Earth Day: the book industry is announcing carbon reduction goals

Happy Earth Day everyone!

We wanted to write a special post for Earth Day and fortunately we have great news to report: The Book Industry Environmental Council announced last week it has set goals for cutting the U.S. book industry's greenhouse gas emissions in 20% by 2020 (from a 2006 baseline) with the intent of achieving an 80% reduction by 2050.

This is very exciting news and as the Council pointed out in its press release, this industry-wide commitment is a global first in publishing and hence has tremendous importance.

Because of the importance of this move and its implications for the book industry, we thought it's important to take closer look at it and analyze it from strategic and operational points of view. Hopefully later on we'll also bring you an interview with one of the Council's leaders.

So let's start with our analysis, which will be presented as a series of Q&A:

What is the Book Industry Environmental Council (BIEC)?

The council, coordinated by the nonprofits Green Press Initiative and the Book Industry Study Group, includes representatives from more than 40 publishers, printers, mills and other stakeholder companies that together account for about 60 percent of the market share. The council is currently focusing on three priority areas: Tracking environmental progress of the book industry, setting an industry wide goal for greenhouse gas emissions reduction and establishing a label to identify publishers that are leading the way in reducing environmental impacts.

What is the baseline of the new goals?

The baseline is the 2006 figures of 12.4 million metric tons CO2 equivalent. This baseline was established in the report 'Environmental Trends and Climate Impacts: Findings from the U.S. Book Industry' that was published on March 2008 by The Green Press Initiative (GPI) and The Book Industry Study Group (BISG).

Why now?

Why not? actually the timing is great with first steps taken in Washington to formulate climate regulation, growing awareness of both companies and customers of the environmental impacts of the industry, growing sense of urgency, and an understanding that if approached now, climate change can become an opportunity for the industry instead of a risk.

And what about the economic recession? Well, with the right strategy companies can build solutions that not only will reduce their carbon emissions, but also lower their costs and create more business opportunities (finding the way to reduce the number of returned books is just one example), so it can become a win-win model that will also benefit the bottom line.

Is it doable?

The targets and their time frames are certainly reasonable. Nevertheless, there are two elements that are crucial to the success of the Council's initiative:

1. Strategic approach - publishers and other companies involved in the industry should approach their carbon reductions strategically and systematically - that's the only way to make sure they will gain the most out of it by creating a shared value - meaningful benefit for the environment that is also valuable to the business. This win-win model is crucial to ensure the success of this initiative. We'll review the process in the next answer.

2. Federal carbon regulation - without putting a price on carbon emissions, whether it is through a carbon tax or a cap and trade system, I don't think there are sufficient economic incentives for publishers to implement climate change policies in accordance with the Council's goals. Fortunately, we see it coming with the first step taken by the EPA last week.

According to the EPA's estimations, carbon prices will range from $13 to $17 per ton in 2015, and rise by about 5 percent a year, reaching $17 to $22 per ton by 2020. It means that we're talking about potential saving of 50-60 million for the industry. This figure may not sound too impressive, but in a growing competitive business environment, these savings can certainly make a difference for many publishers and increase their incentive to act faster and better to reduce more carbon emissions and hence reduce costs.

So what companies in the industry should do?

The Council recommends three major goals: 1. Increasing average PCW recycled content in books from 5% to 30% for all paper types 2. Reducing the portion of books returned from 25% to 20% and 3. Reducing the portion of books in landfills by 30%. These are definitely good goals but it's not enough.

The Council is defining here a market shift and such a shift is involved with both risks and opportunities, especially when each company needs to decide on the action plan required to implement these goals. In order to know how to best utilize the opportunities and avoid the risks, companies need not only goals but also a road map that will enable them to make the most out of this shift.

One example for such systematic approach that can take companies safely throughout this shift is the methodology that was developed by Prof. Andrew Hoffman of the University of Michigan and include 8 steps to build a climate change strategy. Here's a short description of the required steps:

Step 1: Asses emissions profile - what kinds of direct and indirect GHG emissions are being created, from what sources and in what quantities?

Step 2: Gauge risks and opportunities - what risks are posed by emissions from operations and GHG-intensity of products and services? What opportunities can be found to take the company forward?

Step 3: Evaluate action options - what options are available for reducing emissions? Are there any "low-hanging" emission-reduction opportunities? how can climate-related strategies enhance top-line and bottom-line objectives?

Step 4: Set goals and targets - by how much can the company reduce its impact? how can targets be connected to business strategy?

Step 5: Develop Financial Mechanisms - what financial instruments are available to suport GHG reductions? What are the pros and cons of emissions trading for the company?

Step 6: Engage the organization - How can buy-in from the workforce be achieved? how can resistance overcome?

Step 7: Formulate Policy strategy - what are the best ways to influence climate change policy at the state, national or international level?

Step 8: Manage external relationship - what external constituents are important to the success of the climate-related strategies? how should they be engaged?

These steps can of be adjusted to fit each company's operations, and as you can see from the example of IBM it may work even if you don't go through all the steps, but one lesson companies hopefully will learn here is about the need to approach climate change systematically to achieve the best results.

Can it work on the industry level or only on a company level?

I believe the logic of the Council is that an industrial effort, in which some of the big players are involved, is the best and most feasible way to shake the industry and move it forward in the right direction. It definitely makes sense, but one thing that should be taken into consideration is that the Council's move is quite unique - most voluntary climate change initiatives are presented by companies, because they see carbon strategy in terms of competitive positioning - an element that will add value to their unique value proposition. When this initiative is shared by all the competitors, then the competitive element is weakened, unless companies look at these goals as the minimum and not as a cap and will try to excel and move further to meet bolder goals.

What's missing?

1. I didn't see any reference to electronic content or in other words e-books. I know that this is a relatively small part of the whole industry and we still need to gather more information on the carbon footprint of e-books, but this is fast-growing niche that should be taken into consideration this way or another. Publishers should have more information about the implications of using more content electronically in terms of carbon emissions and evaluate whether this is a desirable path or not.

2. It will be interesting to learn more about the commitment of the big players in the book industry to these goals - are they all see it eye to eye and are fully committed to these goals?

All in all this is very good news and we'll continue to follow the developments in the industry closely and bring you updates and analysis to get a better understanding of the big picture.

Happy Earth Day!

Raz @ Eco-Libris

www.ecolibris.net

Webcast alret: Successful “Green” Publishing: Production Marketing and Beyond.

Interested in green publishing? Tomorrow, February 26, 2 pm EST, Publishers Weekly and Green Press initiative will co-host a webcast titled “Successful “Green” Publishing: Production Marketing and Beyond."

What's it's going to be about? Here's the description from the event's website:

Even in today’s economy, it is possible and advantageous to be an environmentally responsible publisher. There are savings to be found in everything from reducing energy costs to basis weights. This free and informative webcast discussion will feature publishers who have made the commitment to be environmental leaders in publishing and have benefited. Attendees will learn how to be proactive about environmental initiatives that can help build recognition for one title or an entire program and will also discover the many ways that green practices can both support all areas of their publishing program as well as the environment.

Panelists include Mary Choteborsky, associate publishing manager and associate editor at Crown, Judy Galbraith, founder and president of Free Spirit Publishing, Tona Pearce-Myers, Production Director at New World Library. The webcast will be moderated by Tyson Miller, Founder and Director, Green Press Initiative.

The inaugural showing of SUCCESSFUL “GREEN” PUBLISHING: Production, Marketing, and Beyond is on February 26, 2009 at 2:00 PM EST, and will be available from the webcast archive for one year following the initial webcast. You can listen to it at no cost - you just need to register.

This should be a very interesting webcast and we recommend anyone involved or interested in the green publishing to listen to it. We will cover it on our blog in a couple of days so stay tuned.

For more details and to listen to the webcast click HERE

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

What's in your paper? a new website gives your the answers you're looking for!

The Environmental Paper Network launched a great new website entitles 'What's In Your Paper' (thanks to the Green Press Initiative's newsletter for the info!), where you can learn not only what's in your paper, but also how your paper can go green.

Firstly, a little bit about EPN: The Environmental Paper Network (EPN) was founded in 2002 to bring together conservation organizations to draft a Common Vision for the Transformation of the Pulp and Paper Industry. The consensus platform of the Common Vision has been the primary basis for citizen and NGO advocacy and institutional policy development which is driving the rapid growth of environmentally responsible paper markets.

The new website is full with informative and user-friendly information, including Paper Steps - a guide for making your office or company paper more environmentally responsible, glossary with all the definitions you need to know about, toolkit for the eco-friendly paper purchaser, a guide on how to save paper and much more.

Is paper that important? does your paper usage really matter? for those who still ask it, the website gives a very clear explanation:

What’s In Your Paper matters because the impacts of paper production result in one of the world’s most significant environmental challenges. Our daily choices about paper use and what paper we buy is one of the easiest, and most significant choices we can make to make a difference.

Paper’s life-cycle is often a trail of greenhouse gas emissions, fresh water consumption and pollution, and the loss of native forests and biodiversity. It also brings us many benefits, from great literature to personal hygiene, and it is inevitable that paper will be part of our lives for the foreseeable future. So, our choices matter. We must all do our part to take the Steps to Responsible Paper Purchasing.

Not convinced yet? here's a reminder from a video we showed a while ago from The Secret Life of Paper's website, which is also presented on the website's What's Hot section:

And don't forget to check out their blog - The Paper Planet

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris
www.ecolibris.net

The Secret Life of Paper

How is paper production related to forest destruction and global warming? Why is recycling and buying recycled paper important? Some of the replies to these questions can be found below in a video called "The Secret Life of Paper".

Thanks to the Green Initiative Press' last newsletter I learned about this interesting video of INFORM. It is part of INFORM’s Secret Life Series, which is a collection of videos that highlight the environmental impacts of everyday products we all use.

INFORM is an organization that is "dedicated to educating the public about the effects of human activity on the environment and public health. Our goal is to empower citizens, businesses and government to adopt practices and policies that will sustain our planet for future generations."



You can find more important information on the environmental impacts of paper production, paper recycling, alternative fibers, and policy at the Secret Life Series website.

Enjoy the video,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant a tree for every book you read!

How green is the book publishing industry? An interview with Tyson Miller, Director of the Green Press Initiative

After I wrote here about the publication of the of 'Environmental Trends and Climate Impacts: Findings from the U.S. Book Industry', and reviewed some of the most important findings, it's time of the third (and last) part of our coverage of the report.

Today I am very excited to bring you an interview I conducted with Tyson Miller, the Founder and Director of the Green Press Initiative (GPI). The Green Press Initiative, together with the The Book Industry Study Group (BISG), initiated and prepared this impressive report that presents and analyzes the book industry's ecological footprint.

Not only that Tyson Miller is one of the people who led the work on the report, but he is also one of the most knowledgeable people about the issues brought up in the report. In the last seven years he directs the Green Press Initiative (which he also founded) – a program which is catalyzing environmentally responsible book publishing in the U.S. He initiated the Book Industry Treatise on Responsible Paper Use, which more than 150 publishers have signed so far, and is also involved in the efforts of big publishers, such as Simon & Schuster and Scholastic, to develop green policies.

Therefore, I was very happy for the opportunity to have this interview with Mr. Miller, shedding more light on the report and its implications. I hope you'll enjoy it as well!

Can you tell us about the work on the report - how many people were involved, who led it, how much time it took, etc. ?

It took about 9 months and was led primarily by BISG, GPI and our research partner, the Borealis Centre for Environment and Trade Research. We also were very fortunate to have a generous group of report sponsors and a diverse committee of industry stakeholders to help guide the process.

Over 1,000 constituents involved in all segments of the book industry were invited to take part in the survey that was the base for the report. Eventually 104 responded. Were you satisfied with this response rate?

I would have been happier with better participation...but it was the first effort and we were asking for a lot in terms of the time commitment to answer all of the questions. I'm confident that future studies will have a higher participation rate. Nevertheless, the data gathered accurately reflects trends and for publishers, at least, we had 45% of market share responding.

How difficult was the calculation of the book industry's carbon footprint?

Quite a challenge, but our findings were in line with the findings of several large publishers that have done their own carbon audits. I was surprised to see that the CO2 equivalent emissions connected to paper represented over 70% of the industry's emissions. I figured transportation would have had more of an impact.

You report that the average use of PCW recycled paper is 5% - what do you see as the main obstacle that currently stops publishers from using more PCW recycled paper?

We had to use the 5% figure as an estimate for the printing and writing sector. The actual trend for recycled fiber at the mill level was over 13% and had jumped sixfold from just 2.5% a few years prior. But since we only had 17% of mills reporting, we couldn't use the figure. My guestimation is that the industry is likely at about 15% recycled fiber. Either way, the biggest hurdle is cost and with increasing demand and a lack of corresponding infrastructure development, costs could rise.

How many of the trees cut down for the production of books are grown in tree plantations? what can done to stop the conversion of rich ecosystems into tree plantations?

Most of the world’s paper supply, about 71 percent, is not made from timber harvested at tree farms but from forest-harvested timber, from regions with ecologically valuable, biologically diverse habitat. (Toward a Sustainable Paper Cycle: An Independent Study on the Sustainability of the Pulp and Paper Industry, 1996)

Do you think that the effort to go green in the industry should be solely voluntary, or it might be that we need legislation to move faster, for example, a legislation that will tax paper sourced from non-sustainable sources?

I think that market transformations are inherently voluntary initiatives and are moving along at a pace quite quickly without legislation. Legislation could be useful for big-picture objectives like carbon-reduction emission reduction targets across all sectors.

What is the reason that e-books weren't part of the report and is there any plan to further explore the environmental impacts of e-books in the next reports?

In order to address e-books effectively, I'd need to look at a lifecycle comparison that analyzes the impacts of e-readers vs. paper as a medium. I do hope that we can explore much more in-depth in future iterations.

How's the U.S. book industry doing in comparison with the European book industry?

I haven't seen a benchmarking analysis from Europe...but I'd say we're on par or ahead.

What's the most important lesson we can learn from the report?

Likely that the emissions associated with paper constitutes approximately 70% of the industry's carbon footprint and also that the industry is really meaning making meaningful progress - a sixfold increase in recycled fiber at the mill level over the past fours years. I also found it telling that such a significant portion of surveyed companies had environmental policies that are completed or intended.

This report will definitely become an important benchmark in the industry. When we can expect the next report?

Hopefully we can track a reduced number of metrics annually.

What's next? are there any planned actions on an industry scale?

More of the same - we'll keep plugging away and supporting the leaders and those that aren't quite ready to lead.

I read in the report that there's a Book Industry Environmental Council in development - can you tell us more about it?

We felt that it would be great to have industry leaders helping to inform important priorities such as the development of a standardized tracking mechanism for monitoring environmental indicators and progress, determining parameters and protocols for reducing the industry's carbon footprint, guiding future revisions to the Treatise, and developing standards for an on-product environmental label.

Thank you Tyson for the interview! The report can be ordered on GPI and BISG websites. The summary of the findings is also available for view.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

How green is the Book Publishing Industry? A new report provides the answer!

This is a very exciting week for the book industry and anyone involved in the efforts to green it up. The reason? 'Environmental Trends and Climate Impacts: Findings from the U.S. Book Industry' has been published.

This 86-page report was prepared by The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) and The Green Press Initiative (GPI) (with support from a number of industry sponsors). 76 publishers, representing just under half of the market, participated in the study, along with 13 printers (about 25 percent) and 6 paper mills (about 17 percent).

Why is this report so important? because this is an up to date analysis of the industry's ecological footprint. This is the most detailed survey someone has done for years to receive a clear picture of the book publishing industry's environmental impacts.

These measurements will help not only to know better where the industry is standing now, but also to better plan how to move forward and green up the industry as well as to evaluate the progress later on. In one word: Benchmark. Or as BISG describes the report on its website - "a benchmarking survey which will establish a baseline for tracking climate impacts and progress by the U.S. book industry in environmental improvements."

The report also gives us a better perspective on the steps taken by few of the big publishers, such as Simon and Schuster, Random House and others in the last two years, and how much at all is already done within the industry both on the level of creating green policies and greening up the operations.

Here are few highlights from the report that were published by AP on their article 'Report: Book publishing industry getting greener':

- The book world (in the U.S.) uses up more than 1.5 million metric tons of paper each year.

- Just over half of publishers have set specific goals for increasing use of recycled paper. About 60 percent have a formal environmental policy or are in the process of completing one.

- Around 150 publishers, along with 10 printers and four paper manufacturers, have backed a treatise (initiated by GPI) supporting recycled paper and fiber from forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

This is the first part of our coverage of this report. I intend to dive into the 86 pages and bring you next week my point of view of the results. If you want to order the report, you can do it on GPI and BISG websites.

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

Plant trees with Eco-Libris!

World's largest publisher of children's books goes green

While we were concentrating last week on green mooching, Scholastic, the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, announced new steps it intends to take to go green.

I learned about the announcement from Greenbiz.com and went to check the source itself. Scholastic reported in a news release on its new green policy that is meant to "further strengthening its sustainable paper procurement practices".

Scholastic's policy is based on a five-year goal to increase its publication paper purchase of FSC-certified paper to 30% and its use of recycled paper to 25%, of which 75% will be post-consumer waste.

Scholastic worked together with the Rainforest Alliance, the Green Press Initiative and other environmental organizations to set these goals, which Scholastic says are "industry-leading goals".
Are they?

I wasn't sure so I sat down and made a comparison with two other green initiatives of big publishers (Random House and Simon & Schuster) and the Book Industry Treatise initiated by the Green Press Initiative. I checked out the two most important parts in these initiatives - usage of recycled paper and FSC paper. I also checked to what year they set their goals.

And here are the results:

As you can see from the table above, although Scholastic is the last one to set up green goals, it set up very bold goals in comparison with the others. None of the other three match Scholastic when it comes to the usage of FSC paper, and it lags only in 5% behind the treatise and Random House with regards to the usage of recycled paper.

Still, I must say that if they would have gone for a goal of 30% recycled paper content on 2012, it would be much easier to agree that their goals are industry leading ones. You have to remember that recycled paper is a better alternative to virgin paper than FSC paper and therefore more important as a goal.

One more point I would like to emphasize is that unlike the treatise and S&S, there's no commitment of Scholastic to stop using paper that may contain fiber from endangered and old-growth forest areas.

All in all, I think this is a very important step and I believe that the way Scholastic has done in the last couple of years represents the whole book industry.

Although it used recycled paper for many of its books in the past, Scholastic drew fire from some environmental groups in 2005 when it published Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in the Harry Potter series. Greenpeace, in particular, complained Scholastic wasn’t using enough recycled paper and urged consumers to boycott Scholastic and to purchase the novel from Raincoast Books, the Canadian publisher, which printed the Canadian edition of the book on recycled paper.

In 2007, things changed and Scholastic worked together with the Rainforest Alliance to green up the final part of Harry Potter: every 784-page copy of Harry's final adventure contained at least 30% recycled fiber. On top of that, almost two-thirds of the 15,100 tones of paper used were certified sustainable (FSC). There were also 100,000 copies of the "deluxe edition" which were only made from recycled paper, with the factory powered from renewable sources.

And now Scholastic is taking one more important step forward and set a policy for all of its operations. This is definitely the way we think all publishers should go and of course we hope to see bolder goals in the future that will make reading truly sustainable.

Oh, and I almost forgot this part, which is also very important: "Along with the new policy announcement, Scholastic today launched its new, interactive “green” website for kids called Scholastic ACT GREEN! at www.scholastic.com/actgreen." The site is designed to educate kids about climate change and sustainability and inspire them to take action to preserve the planet. Way to go!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

Simon & Schuster goes green

The big news of this week came from Simon & Schuster (S&S), one of the big four publishing firms in the world (the Big Four) and a home to writers such as Stephen King, David McCullough, Ursula Hegi and Bob Woodward.

Associated Press reported last Thursday that Simon & Schuster announced on a new environmental initiative and paper policy that will dramatically increase the amount of recycled fiber in the paper used to manufacture its books.

The new policy includes the following goals:

1. For books printed and bound in the U.S. - an incremental increase of the use of recycled fiber from its current 10% baseline level to a 25% or greater aggregate level by 2012.

2. Simon & Schuster will endeavor to have at least 10% of its paper Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified by 2012.

3. For books printed and bound in the United States, Simon & Schuster will endeavor to eliminate the use of paper that may contain fiber from endangered and old-growth forest areas.

4. By the end of 2007 and going forward, all Simon & Schuster shipping cartons will be made exclusively from 100% recycled post-consumer waste, subject to availability.

Firstly, this is good news for the environment - S&S purchases approximately 70,000 tons of paper annually. So at current production levels, the shift to 25 percent recycled fiber will result in saving approximately 483,000 trees annually and reducing greenhouse gases by nearly 85 million pounds!

This is also good news to all the book publishing industry because I believe this step will have further consequences. Such a step will certainly influence other publishers, especially the big ones that won't like to stay behind S&S. I am quite sure that the news from S&S gave the usage of recycled paper and other eco-friendly practices a much higher place than it used to have on the to-do list of many publishers.

Simon & Schuster developed its policy and will implement it with the help of the Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit organization, which is currently one of the most significant forces that work to move the book industry toward working in an eco-friendlier manner.

Now, I congratulate S&S for their big step, but I was wondering why it didn't go a little bit further and at least matched its goals with the Green Press Initiative's Industry Treatise. This treatise (Book Industry Treatise on Responsible Paper), already been adopted by more than 140 publishers.

Especially I'm referring to the treatise goal of "shifting the book industry's collective average use of recycled fiber from an estimated 5% recycled average at present to a 30% recycled industry average by 2012. " S&S said it will move to 25% by 2012 (or greater aggregate, which is a bit vague). The difference of 5% might sounds marginal, but we're talking here about almost 100,000 trees a year!

And just to remind you, we have already one of the Big Four that is committed to a goal of 30% recycled paper -Random House announced last year it will incrementally increase the recycled paper content of its books to 30% by 2010.

I also hope to see Simon & Schuster going further and take responsibility for all the trees cut down to supply their paper that is not sourced out of recycled paper or certified forests (FSC). Even on 2012, it will total in more than 1.5 million trees a year! Eco-Libris will certainly be willing to help here.

All in all, it's a great day for all the eco-conscious book lovers out there, and I look forward to reading more news from the book industry that will start like this : "Simon & Schuster, Inc., and its employees are committed to publishing in a manner that both respects the environment and helps to preserve the world’s great forest regions for the use and pleasure of future generations. "

Yours,
Raz@ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: plant a tree for every book you read!

so, what’s the deal with paper?

We got few requests to give more information about the environmental impacts of the paper used by the book publishing industry. We are happy to receive such requests because we believe this info is something that every book lover should get acquainted with.

In our blog, we’ll try to give you the full picture of what’s going on out there with the production of paper. We promise to bring you each week one new fact about paper and the way its production affects the world we’re living in.

One of the best information sources for this issue is Green Press Initiative, a non-profit program, which its mission is to work with publishers, industry stakeholders and authors to create paper-use transformations that will conserve natural resources and preserve endangered forests. These people are doing a great job and are a significant force in the effort to move the book publishing industry towards sustainability.

At the Book Expo America 2007, a major event of the book publishing industry that took place in NYC at the beginning of June, Green Press Initiative participated in a panel on the environmental impacts of book publishing (isn't the panel itself a sign of change? I believe it is..). This interesting panel included also 3 publishers (Random House, Chronicle Books and Powell’s Books). All four delivered presentations that are available on Green Press Initiative’s website.

The presentation given by Green Press Initiative (the first one on this page) is a great introduction to anyone who is interested in the environmental impacts of paper. Think of it as Paper 101. But if it’s not enough for you, don’t worry, it’s just the beginning. In the next couple of weeks, I will write more thoroughly on many of the issues brought up in the presentation.

And as promised, to the fact of the week:

Fact 1: Canada’s Boreal Forest stores more carbon than any other forest. It is estimated that 2.5 million acres of forest are cut there each year, and 65% of the trees cut down are harvested specifically to make paper – much of it consumed by publishers (news, book, magazine, catalog) in the US. Source: Green Press Initiative

Raz