Environmental Policy

Initially not formalisedInitially not formalised

• For many years, just informal initiatives

• Staff concern at lack of visible activity

• WWF order required supplier questionnaire to be completed, approved

• Scrambled through that

• Set up environment team 2005, volunteers from all departments

Starting PointsStarting Points

• Environment policy

• Standards

• Quantify impacts

• Paper

• Offsetting

• Office energy use (existing, new)

• Other initiatives

Formulating Environment PolicyFormulating Environment Policy

• Who was this for?– Staff– Customers– Other stakeholders, authors etc

• Several iterations

• Important to ensure policy is meaningful, testable

• On web site

StandardsStandards

• Looked carefully at existing standards- ISO 14001

- EMAS

- Accountability

- Others

• Didn’t fine one that seemed appropriate, affordable

• Decided not to go down the formal route

Assessing impactsAssessing impacts

• Used Climate Care spreadsheet– Paper accounted for 84% – Travel accounted for 9%– Freight accounted for 4%– Office use accounted for 3%

• Paper figure is generic; does not take account of FSC, end use

• Reasonable, ball-park estimates only

PaperPaper

• Far and away our biggest impact

• Move to FSC for all print that we source; production, marketing, other

• Pressure on partners, co-editions to use FSC paper as well

• Little impact on prices

• Keep accurate records year to year

OffsettingOffsetting

• Keen to offset all our emissions• Offset from publications and operations• Total cost about 0.25% • Used Climate Care, based on client list• Rethinking this following takeover of CC

by JP Morgan; led to lively debate internally

• Planning to do direct offsetting on RE and EE project in Wales

Office impactsOffice impacts

• Used RE Tariff in former office

• Most other things landlord dependent

• Move to new premises had pluses, minuses

• New landlord very sympathetic, but cautious about extra costs

• Key was decisions on heating, a/c, lighting

• Hope other things will follow

Other initiativesOther initiatives

• Office recycling and material use

• Fair Trade, local suppliers where possible

• Supplier questionnaires

• Promoting our efforts

• Looking at wider CSR issues, staff engagement

• Wormery!

Future questionsFuture questions

• ‘ … it depends’ eg local vs development• What does a world look like with 80% CO2

reduction? What about carbon positive?• Is paper a carbon sink when used in

books?• How green is the electronic route of

information delivery?• How can you grow a business without

consuming more/having more impact?

Thank YouThank You

• We have over 1000 books on environmental issues. These are just four of them.

• www.earthscan.co.uk