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Scholastic to Continue Efforts in Environmentally Responsible Publishing

Scholastic, the US publishers of the Harry Potter novels, announced new plans to continue their environmentally responsible publishing practices, setting new goals and launching a new website. In a press release, the company said they have “set a five-year goal to increase its publication paper purchase of FSC-certified paper to 30% and its use of recycled paper to 25%, of which 75% will be post-consumer waste. The company said that the new goals add to their “long-standing responsible environmental practices that have already resulted in reducing paper use by more than three million pounds annually.

“Our five-year goals for FSC-certified and recycled paper purchases are ambitious but achievable and important,” said Maureen O’Connell, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer, Scholastic. “For many years, we demonstrated our commitment to responsible paper policy and we particularly raised the standard last summer with our record-setting use of environmentally-friendly papers for the seventh book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Scholastic will strive to continue raising the bar for environmentally-sound policies and practices, including not only the use of FSC and recycled content in our paper products but also in the construction and maintenance of our headquarters and other facilities, and in helping to educate young people about caring for the environment.”

“Scholastic’s environmental purchasing policy will set the bar for publishers, and its goal of ensuring that 30 percent of its paper supply is FSC-certified by 2012 will help create more demand for paper from responsibly managed forests,” said Tensie Whelan, Executive Director, Rainforest Alliance (www.rainforest-alliance.org). “Sustainability is an ongoing process and commitments like this protect forests, conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods.” “Scholastic’s green publishing policy is truly industry-leading and will do much to continue advancing positive transformations in the book sector,” said Tyson Miller, Director, Green Press Initiative

Scholastic also launched www.scholastic.com/actgreen , a site which “is designed to educate kids about climate change and sustainability and inspire them to take action to preserve the planet.”