Behind Simon & Schuster’s New ‘Green’ Initiative

Simon & Schuster executives talk about launching an environmental policy that outlines companywide goals, including increasing the use of recycled fiber by 150 percent.

December 2007 By Janet Spavlik

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The book publishing industry took another step forward in its ongoing efforts to lessen its environmental impact with the recent announcement that Simon & Schuster Inc. (www.SimonSays.com) has launched a major environmental initiative and paper policy. As a result of this new initiative, the New York-based publishing company will aim to increase the amount of recycled fiber in the paper used to manufacture its books. It follows in the footsteps of Random House Inc., which launched a similar initiative last year.

For its books printed and bound in the United States, Simon & Schuster plans to increase from its current 10 percent to 25 percent or more the level of recycled fiber in its purchased paper by 2012, representing a 150-percent increase. This increase will save about 483,000 trees annually and reduce nearly 85 million pounds in greenhouse gases, notes the company. Simon & Schuster purchases about 70,000 tons of paper annually.

“Citizen, employee and corporate awareness, and desire for environmentally friendly practices have been on the rise for a few years now. We felt that the time was right to codify what Simon & Schuster could do to make a difference in this area,” says Vice President of Corporate Communications Adam Rothberg, who notes that Simon & Schuster UK is expected to follow suit with a similar environmental policy.

The company also will attempt to eliminate the use of paper that may contain fiber from endangered or old-growth forest areas with a goal that, by 2012, at least 10 percent of its purchased paper will be derived from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified forests. According to Simon & Schuster, it is the first major trade publisher to include an FSC target in its environmental policy.

“We are committed to publishing in a manner that both respects the environment and helps preserve the world’s great forest regions for the use and pleasure of future generations,” says Jack Romanos, president and chief executive officer.

The goals detailed in Simon & Schuster’s new environmental initiative and paper policy were developed by a group of company executives, including Joe D’Onofrio, senior vice president, supply chain; Karen Roman, vice president, director of production and manufacturing; Ann Ralph, director of paper purchasing; and Rothberg.

“The amount of information, the issues involved and the choices that had to be made turned out to be enormously … complex. … Our goals were developed out of what we thought we could realistically achieve in these areas based on the marketplace for fiber and available forest acreage for the types of paper we use,” says Rothberg. “It was a rather involved process. We had meetings with many of our suppliers to get a sense of the marketplace for recycled fiber and also their perspective on forest-certification issues. We had much counsel and guidance from Green Press Initiative. …”