Behind the Industry’s Push for ‘Responsible Paper Use’
The decision to use environmentally responsible papers is becoming easier every day—a 2005 poll by Book Business magazine even revealed that 17 percent of publishers are using environmentally responsible papers at cost parity. Price premiums, when they do exist, are down from 15 percent to 20 percent in 2001 to 1 percent to 8 percent now, and many publishers have realized that a commitment to eco-friendly publishing is worth a few percentage points in additional cost.
By signing on to the Treatise for Responsible Paper Use, publishers, printers, mills and others can … help move the entire industry toward a less destructive standard of practice.”
—Gabriella Page Fort, publishing services supervisor,
Continuum International Publishing Group
A Tool for Overcoming Hurdles
“As a publisher of more than 350 new titles annually, and a consumer of paper, we want to be a more environmentally responsible in our purchasing. ... We are incorporating the treatise goals as a tool with our suppliers, and have started the dialogue on the impact of environmental policy and awareness with our main vendors in Asia. By using our purchasing power and knowledge of other publishers’ wishes, we can help further the industry’s long-term goal of having more responsible sheets, with recycled and FSC content, readily available to publishers.
As any publisher begins walking down the road of social responsibility, it is necessary to assemble as many tools as possible, and the treatise is no doubt a valuable tool. As an industry agreement with clear goals and timelines, it serves to focus attention on what is needed in terms of product development.
For publishers manufacturing overseas, like Chronicle, it also offers the opportunity to engage overseas printers, mills and brokers in working toward solutions. No one can argue the fact that we can accomplish more together than individually, and this agreement serves to bring different interests together around common goals and standards.”
