Commitments: Environment & Sustainabililty

#TenemosUnBuenPapel Initiative

Through the #TenemosUnBuenPapel initiative, our team in Spain aims to inform readers and authors how the entire business value chain for a book is done responsibly, ethically, and environmentally sustainably.

As part of this initiative, we planted different native trees in the Montnegre massif in the municipality of Dosrius (Barcelona). This reforestation of trees was done to show employees, authors, booksellers, suppliers, and collaborators that we must take on an environmentally sustainable role in the publishing industry, as well as enact non-forest-damaging policies for climate protection and biodiversity using the best possible resources available to us and manufacturing books with that are environmentally certified.  certification from which the chain of custody can be traced.

DK’s Sustainability Working Party

DK’s global Sustainability Working Party was created to deliver plans on sustainability as volunteers from our offices around the world meet monthly to create and execute our global strategy. The meetings also act as a forum to discuss ideas that will drive forward sustainability initiatives. We also have local colleague-led Green committees dedicated to encouraging sustainable behaviors among colleagues, including reducing printing and single-use plastic. These committees also participate in local and global events throughout the year to raise awareness about environmental causes, such as Earth Day and World Environment Day.

Response to Australian Bushfire Crisis

In late 2019 and early 2020, Australia was ravaged by the worst bushfires ever experienced in the country. Across four states, lives and livelihoods were lost, homes destroyed, and our wildlife and their natural habitats critically impacted. PRH Australia, with the support of PRH Canada and PRH U.S., raised $75,000 through fundraising events across all sites, and that money was subsequently distributed to Australia Red Cross and wildlife rescue organizations in the most severely impacted states of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.

DK’s Green Pledge

At DK, we care deeply about an ethical supply chain and taking positive actions beyond that of a publisher. Our Green Pledge was launched in early 2020 and pulls together all the important work we do to maintain an ethical supply chain, and the positive steps we are planning for the future. Our work is split into four key areas—materials, environment, safety, and sustainable supply chains—and these will continue to be the focus of our efforts. Our Green Pledge acts as an essential framework for our processes, identifying what we have achieved so far in our sustainability goals and what our next steps will be to maintain an ethical supply chain. To learn more about the pledge, click here.