Introduction

Hachette UK is committed to working with environmental organisations to ensure that its policies and practices not only protect the environment but also improve it wherever practical. Our environmental policy is part of a broader range of social responsibility policies that include a focus on working conditions at our own sites and those of suppliers, a responsible attitude to our suppliers, equal opportunities and charitable giving.

Our view is that care for the environment goes hand in hand with good business practice and we are continually developing and revising a sustainable publishing model to satisfy ever more ambitious aspirations in both these respects.

The area in which we believe we can make the biggest difference is in the sourcing and conservation of paper, board and packaging. We are profoundly concerned that our use of these materials should not destroy or degrade ancient forest habitats that are home to people, animals, birds and plants and we positively reject irresponsible logging. Furthermore, as the largest publisher in the UK, with sister companies all over the world and with extensive contact with other like-minded publishers, we believe that our active participation in reform can lead to our being able to make a difference to an extent beyond that which has yet been achieved by other publishers whose businesses are smaller and simpler.

The following statement of detail was issued following consultation with Greenpeace for whose help we are grateful. 

Paper

We expect our suppliers of paper sourced all over the world to declare to us the sources of the paper used in printing our books. Hachette UK is a founding member of PREPS (Publishers’ Database for Responsible Environmental Paper Sourcing) which helps in this regard by providing robust and transparent means of differentiating between the environmental credentials of a very wide variety of types of paper.

We will not knowingly use paper sourced from any ancient or endangered forests and we are committed to the phasing out of any particularly controversial sources of paper fibre.

Where practical and viable, we give preference to post-consumer recycled fibre and we aim to ensure that any virgin fibre used is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). We are working with our suppliers to increase the availability of commercially viable and attractive papers that maximise post-consumer recycled content.

We support the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the leading international forest management certification association. The FSC has undertaken remarkable work to establish ‘chain of custody’ from forest to pulp to paper so that publishers can much more reliably establish the true source of their papers than was the case even a few years ago.

Hodder & Stoughton acquired FSC Certification in 2008.

Such certification confirms that we have in place watertight procedures to ensure that we maximise our knowledge of the sources of our paper and only indicate that FSC paper is being used in the production of our titles when we have full supporting evidence.

Most of the board used in the production of books published by our trade divisions, including Hodder & Stoughton, is FSC-certified via the relevant supplier.

While we consider that FSC certification is the highest available standard, we universally apply other standards to ensure that our paper sourcing does not run contrary to our environmental principles. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) provides a framework for the mutual recognition of different national and regional certification schemes.

It is our preference to use paper mills, printers and other suppliers who have gained or who have applied for EMS ISO 14001 accreditation. IS0 14001 is an internationally accepted standard that sets out effective Environmental Management Systems recognising a commitment to effective management of waste, careful use of energy and ensuring recycling processes are in line with government standards.

We take environmental issues and good practice very seriously at our distribution centres. Bookpoint has EMS IS0 14001 accreditation and Littlehampton Book Services will follow suit early in 2009.

We are actively reducing our use of paper in the office, by reducing the amount of photocopying and printing. We remain committed to using recycled and FSC-certified paper for photocopying, business correspondence and marketing materials within all our offices. 

Ethical Trading

Hachette UK is also a founding member of Prelims (Publishers Resolution for Ethical International Manufacturing Standards). This publishing initiative has now been widely adopted by publishers throughout the UK and has adopted the code of conduct used by the International Council of Toy Industries. It is a practical, thorough and fair system of monitoring conditions and treatment of workers in factories outside the EU and we aim to only use suppliers who have passed the audit or who are working with us to gain accreditation.

Recycling

We recycle as much paper, packaging and other waste as possible. Our UK warehouses recycle well over 90% of their waste. Both Hachette warehouses (Bookpoint and Littlehampton Book Services) will install their own shredding and baling machines by the end of 2008 to reduce the number of truck miles used in transporting waste paper to recyclers.

Recycling is a major priority in publishing offices too. For example, our head office in the Euston Road recycles over 80% of its waste and we review our practices continually to ensure we maintain and, if possible, exceed our high targets in this area. We aim to have 90% recycling by 2010 with zero waste to landfill.

Reduction of Emissions

For general environmental reasons we believe that emissions of many other substances into the atmosphere, water and land are to be avoided as far as possible and we are therefore attending to the processes by which our source materials are made as well as to the wood used in their making and to the carbon dioxide emissions involved in the wider business of publishing.

We are determined to reduce our carbon emissions. In the short term, we have embarked upon a number of initiatives including introducing dual fuel ‘hybrid’ cars into our company car fleet and encouraging reduced use of cars. Energy-saving is a priority at our distribution centres with a Green Team ensuring that machinery, lights and other items are used efficiently and switched off when not in use.

It is our aim to reduce our energy usage across all sites by 15% by 2010. We will achieve this by monitoring our purchase of electricity and gas and investigating optimisation of voltage supplies; fitting photo sensors to lights and occupancy sensors in communal areas where practical; replacing existing boilers with condensing boilers when required and installing heat recovery to water coolers.

We aim to reduce our water usage by 20% by 2012.

We have commissioned the Carbon Trust to advise us on a long-term strategy to improve our energy management and to identify ways in which we can further reduce our emissions.

Returns and Overstocks 

There is no better example of our concern to make best business practice and environmental considerations compatible than in the approach we are now taking to the control of returns. The printing and multiple transportation of books that may eventually be pulped is both costly and environmentally damaging and we are committed to reducing this practice. To this end, both Hachette distribution sites operate IRI, the industry standard returns processing system which was initiated by the Booksellers Association and the Publishers Association to reduce cost and increase efficiency in the book industry supply chain.

Our overall returns policy was originally designed so that we as publishers should share with our customers much of the risk involved in the promoting and stocking of books. It specifically precludes ‘shelf-clearing’, the practice of sending back to us for credit books which do sell well but may be temporarily in excess of booksellers’ ideal requirements at their financial year ends or for other reasons of stringency or convenience.

Hachette UK works closely and co-operatively with all its customers, with the aim of further reducing our returns rate to our mutual benefit and for the greater benefit of the environment. Control of returns form an important component of the Vendor Buying Agreements in place with all major customers.

Our forecasting systems, print run evaluation policies and fast-turnaround contracts with printers have enabled us to reduce our stockholdings relative to sales over many years and we shall continue to improve our performance in this regard throughout the group. This further substantially reduces our paper usage and related costs in keeping with our view that conservation should be our overriding aim.

Monitoring and Reporting 

Hachette UK has an Environmental and Ethical Board which meets at least four times a year to lead, monitor and report on the group’s environmental and ethical initiatives. This board reports to the main board, at which these matters are standing agenda items. Further, the majority of our divisions also have their own Environmental Committees addressing more local needs. We report fully and regularly on the progress we are making on all environmental initiatives.

Tim Hely Hutchinson, CEO of Hachette UK said:

“Our environmental policy demonstrates that care for the environment and good business practices go hand in hand. We know that environmental issues are hugely important to our staff, our customers and our authors and I am delighted that we have brought together the best practices of all our companies into one policy for the group.”

Belinda Fletcher, Senior Forests Campaigner at Greenpeace UK said:

“By choosing recycled fibre and paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council for their books, Hachette UK is making great strides towards being a truly forest friendly company. Greenpeace welcomes Hachette UK’s ethical and environmental policy – once implemented, it will be great news both for the environment and for consumers.”

For further information, please contact:

Clare Harington, Group Communications Director, Hachette UK

0207 873 6108
clare.harington@hachette-livre.co.uk