Supporters of the new ‘Book Industry Treatise’ talk about its significance and why others should sign It.

—Shona Burns, Executive Director, Publishing, Chronicle Books

The Benefits of Accomplishing the Treatise Goals

“The book industry’s paper consumption is significant—nearly one million tons of paper per year. Accordingly, the benefits of accomplishing the goals outlined in the Book Industry Treatise can and will be significant. If we work together we can accomplish the following gains:

• Increasing industry use of post-consumer recycled fiber from 5 percent to 30 percent … eliminating 524 million pounds of greenhouse gases annually (equal to keeping 45,818 cars off the road each year), and conserving the equivalent of 4.9 million trees, 2.1 billion gallons of water, and 264 million pounds of solid waste every year [calculated by Environmental Defense, 2004].

• By committing to eliminate fiber originating from Endangered Forests and to cease sourcing fiber from forests that are converted to plantations, we are supporting protections for the most rare and threatened forest types on the planet and are helping to keep 90 percent of species in a natural forest intact.”

—John Walsh, assistant production director,

Harvard UniversityPress

The Supply-Chain Perspective

“Dirigo Paper makes recycled book papers and other products at its mill in northern Vermont. The ups and downs of the recycled pulp market over the past decade demonstrate that, without sustained demand, the recycled pulp infrastructure will not develop.

We believe publisher and printer commitment to the goals of the treatise will encourage development of the supply of post-consumer recycled fiber, by increasing manufacturing efficiencies for de-inking plants, making recycled raw material more readily available to paper manufacturers, and lowering the cost of both raw material and recycled-content paper in the future.”

—Peter Hanson, president, Dirigo Paper Company

Behind the Industry’s Push for ‘Responsible Paper Use’