Green Press Initiative

A new report by the Book Industry Environmental Council (BIEC) and Green Press Initiative indicates that the U.S. book industry has continued to make progress towards reducing the environmental impacts of books including impacts on forests and climate change. Among the most notable findings was that paper producers who supply book papers reported using an average of 24% recycled fiber, almost a fivefold increase from 2004 when they were believed to be using around 5% recycled fiber.

Regular readers of this irregular environmental publishing column know that in January we told you about the Green Press Inititative's (GPI) new Environmentally Responsible Publisher Certification (ERPC).

The program gives publishers a way to gauge (and tout) their environmental responsibility. But what if you don't know where to start?

GPI has launched consulting services to help publishing companies acquire the tools they need to become environmentally responsible.

In January, the Green Press Initiative (GPI)—a nonprofit that works with the book and newspaper publishing industries to conserve natural resources, announced its long-awaited Environmentally Responsible Publisher Certification (ERPC). Not unlike the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification for buildings, the GPI's program offers publishers tiers—bronze, silver and gold—for environmental achievement.

Tyson Miller has edited a new book (due out in October) called 'Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America.'

Last year, Hachette Book Group launched an aggressive sustainability policy, working together with passionate colleagues and industry experts.

Scholastic announced that it has made continued progress toward its companywide goal of strengthening its sustainable paper procurement practices and increasing the percentage of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified and post-consumer waste (PCW) recycled paper it purchases. In January 2008, Scholastic announced goals for 2012 to increase its purchase of FSC-certified paper for its publications to 30 percent and its use of recycled paper to 25 percent, of which 75 percent would be PCW.

With last week's 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the continuing coverage of the effects of the Icelandish volcanaic ash cloud, the environment has been front and center in news headlines recently. In the book publishing world, another significant environmental-themed story has emerged: The Book Industry Environmental Council (BIEC) is devising—with plans to launch mid-year—an eco-labeling program for books to identify publishers that are leading the way in reducing environmental impacts.

Mount Pleasant, S.C.-based Arcadia Publishing, a publisher of local history books, is the country’s first major book publisher to achieve the use of 100-percent Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper across its entire book publishing program, the company announced this week.

Nonprofit advocacy organization Green Press Initiative (GPI) announced that the U.S. book industry has passed "a meaningful environmental threshold." Approximately 50 percent of publishers now have environmental commitments in place—most with goals and timelines for vastly improving their environmental and climate performance. "This is significant due to the fact that as recent as 2001, virtually no publishers had environmental commitments on record …," according to a GPI press release. 

Today, the U.S. book industry passed a meaningful environmental threshold—approximately 50 percent of publishers now have environmental commitments in place–most with goals and timelines for vastly improving their environmental and climate performance