Publishing Sustainability Tools for a Greener Future: The Publishers Association’s Carbon Calculator and Materials Matrix at London Book Fair

Three years ago, the Publishers Association set up a member Sustainability Taskforce. Since then we have been on a journey with them to help make the publishing industry as sustainable as possible, including launching Publishing Declares.

In our efforts to work towards a greener and more sustainable future, we launched a Carbon Calculator and Materials Matrix in 2022, which we believe to be the first and only bespoke tool of its kind available to the book and journal industry in the UK, and possibly beyond.

The Carbon Calculator allows Publishers Association members to monitor their carbon emissions across various aspects of their business, including travel, production of printed products, and fuel and energy-related emissions. The Materials Matrix works alongside the Carbon Calculator to help members compare the most commonly used materials in the publishing supply chain and sustainable alternatives.

In this session the Publishers Association’s Head of Research, Susan Pinkney, and new (and first ever) Sustainability Manager, Alice Wood will guide you through the Carbon Calculator and Materials Matrix, explaining the background of the tools, how we created them, including challenges, what the tools can do, and future plans.

Speakers:

Susan Pinkney, Head of Research, Publishers Association
Susan Pinkney is Head of Research at the Publishers Association and led on the Association’s sustainability work, including leading the member Sustainability taskforce, in 2022. She has led on the development of both the Carbon calculator and Materials Matrix, working with external developers to ensure the tools meet the needs of the publishing sector. She has spoken to a number of international associations on the UK Publishers Association’s sustainability work.

Alice Wood, Sustainability Manager, Publishers Association
Alice Wood is the Publishers Association’s first ever Sustainability Manager, coming from a sustainability consulting background. Previously she worked as a Sustainability Analyst in the research team at a TMT consultancy, where she grew its sustainability practice and launched its first sustainability products and reports on the sustainability strategies of global companies, and as a Sustainability Consultant in the real estate and finance industry. She also worked for an NGO in Bolivia supporting a community in La Paz. Alice is passionate about all aspects about sustainability but causes very close to her heart are climate change, gender equality, human rights, and corporate kindness. Alice is currently working towards a ‘Work Kind’ certification and will be a certified ‘Work Kind Individual’ this year.