Alastair Sawday Publishing
Alastair Sawday Publishing
Alastair Sawday is the man behind Alastair Sawday Publishing. Alastair Sawday is a widely known environmentalist, who proudly had a “green” career even before starting his publishing company in 1994. He was involved with Oxfam, the Green Party, and was the vice-president of the Soil Association, a British charity campaigning for sustainable food, farming and land use. In the 70s, he also founded the Avon Friends of the Earth, that played an important role in the development of recycling in the UK.
Alastair Sawday Publishing is a very interesting example of environmentally sound publishing. Sawday’s imprint is specialised in ecological and organic tourism, publishing accommodation and travel guides (B&B, hotels, pubs and restaurants) of eco-friendly places around the world. Its guides offer suggestions on where to eat local and organic food or where to spend a night closer to the nature: perhaps in a treehouse.
Notwithstanding, the green ethics goes well beyond its list of titles. Sawday’s claims to have reduced its carbon emissions to 7 tonnes per year and to have installed a wood-pellet boiler, solar panels, a rainwater tank, as well as low-energy lighting. The publisher even uses an ethical Bank for its deposit accounts.
But specifically regarding book production, I considered that Sawday’s was a remarkable example for both small and large publisher on what can be done to reduce publishers’ environmental impact. Sawday’s works with a British, certified printer, and decides, together with the printer, the most adequate paper to use. Furthermore, the publisher is also engaged in overseas projects to balanced out its books by planting new trees.
Image credit: B&B Association
PGN – Publishers Green Network
The Publishers Green Network is a voluntary, non-profit organisation formed by members of the publishing industry based in the UK. It was founded in 2007 by members of Pearson, Alastair Sawday Publishing and Hachette to promote environmental awareness at grass-roots level, providing help on green practices and ecological initiatives to “any executives involved in environmental initiatives within their publishing houses”.
The group is open to anyone, regardless the position, role or department, and its initiatives are aimed to all UK publishing houses, from the largest groups to the most independent publishers. At the moment, 30 publishing houses are involved in the network. Meetings are held twice a year on a wide range of matters: energy reduction initiatives, environmental staff engagement, supply chain integrity, waste management and the impact of digitisation, juts to mention some of a broader list.
Certainly, a good initiative to keep professionals, from all areas of publishing, informed about greener trends in book production.
Image credit: Facebook Publishers Green Network
Publishing gets green 