Big News on the “Green” Front

While GPI is just starting its push to sign on supporters of the treatise, some have already signed it, and 105 U.S. publishers and two book manufacturers have already developed policies consistent with the treatise’s goals, says GPI.

Rudy Shur, president of Square One Publishers—a Long Island-based independent publishing company—says his company was involved in developing the treatise and has signed it. “It’s a benchmark, a target to shoot for that didn’t exist before,” says Shur.

And Random House’s new policy is likely to stir the environmental waters.

“Random House has set the bar for the rest of the major multinationals,” says Tyson Miller, GPI program director.

While Random House’s goals seem to coincide with those being set by the treatise, the company has not committed to endorsing it.

“Our conversations with the Green Press Initiative and the others involved with the treatise have been very informative and beneficial, as have been our conversations with several mills. GPI has been a valuable resource and ally in this initiative, and we intend to maintain that dialogue, continuing to actively engage in a wide-ranging give and take about many of the issues they raise,” says Drake. “We have committed to implement many of the goals we and GPI have discussed; at present, we have not committed to become a signatory.” ―

Regardless of whether or not the company signs on the dotted line, its new initiative is significant to the cause. “Random House’s policy is sort of symbolic of the book industry nearing a critical-mass point whereby there will be some wide-scale transformations if other multinationals follow their lead,” says Miller. “Random House understands the value of corporate social responsibility and is putting it into practice, and that’s something all publishers should consider doing.” BB