Our Indusry's 'Green' Leaders

Of the 16 printers on GPI's list of eco-resources, most stock 30-percent PCW recycled paper, a third stock 50-percent, and another third stock 60-percent.

A few U.S. publishers stock 100-percent PCW recycled papers, and all the Canadian printers listed with GPI do as well.

The premium for recycled stocks is averaging roughly 5 percent, which is lower than in the past. Several more printers will join the Green Press Initiative stocking list this year.

Where possible, acting as a collective will move pricing and availability along faster. The Green Press Initiative is one resource with a cooperative-pricing agreement for recycled papers. It's also happening within individual segments of the industry:

• the Association of American University Presses' Eco Task Force led by Deborah Bruner of Cornell University Press and Anthony Crouch of University of California Press

• the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, where Baker Book Publishing and its printer, Bethany Press International, have partnered to lead the way for this segment

• the Catholic Book Publishers Association, with leadership coming from Frank Cunningham at Ave Maria Press

What Is Causing the Shift?

This time around, the movement in eco-publishing stems from the demand side. More than in the past, publishers are taking a proactive stance in regard to environmental responsibility.

Another example of publisher-initiated progress occurred when the California Publishing division of Avalon Publishing Group Inc., Emeryville, Calif., made a formal commitment to follow the GPI goals. Jane Musser, the production director, included the goals in her bid requests to suppliers to underscore the seriousness of the company's intentions. One of Musser's printers, Malloy Inc. in Ann Arbor, Mich., has recently begun stocking a wider range of environmental-paper offerings in response to customers like Avalon California.

Publishers just won't take no for an answer: If no eco-friendly papers are available at comparable prices, they're pushing harder to get them. Some are doing this individually, and some collectively as part of industry associations that, as a group, have significant buying power.