Rachel Martin is the face behind a pioneering study that will allow Portugal to measure the carbon footprint of the publishing industry. The idea of doing so came up in 2023 during the Book 2.0 – “The Future of Reading” conference, held in Lisbon. At a very early stage, the objective of the study is to obtain precise data on the way books are produced in the country, in order to determine future changes that will bring it, at least in this sector, closer to Net Zero – that is, “ a state in which all annual global emissions are removed from the atmosphere.” Paper producers, printers, publishers, distributors and booksellers will be called upon to collaborate.
Global Director of Sustainability at academic publisher Elsevier, based in the Netherlands, Rachel Martin is co-founder of the Publishing 2030 Accelerator, launched in October 2022, with the support of the International Publishers Association (IPA) and the Federation of European Publishers (FEP), to promote more environmentally friendly transformations and practices in the publishing sector. “It’s not about making everything digital,” she warns, in an interview with Expresso. In principle, the conclusions of the study will be known in September, when the second edition of Book.2.0 takes place.
Why is it important to determine the carbon footprint of a book? Why should we care about this?
First of all, we have to reach Net Zero [objetivo acordado a nível internacional para mitigar os efeitos do aquecimento global a curto prazo] and achieving it is a very difficult challenge. Large international publishers, and even small ones, are recognizing the role they play in terms of their impact. We think of books above all as a way of exchanging knowledge, transmitting facts, and inspiring subsequent generations. But they also have an impact on the climate and the environment. They use paper and energy. And, as in other sectors, we must pay attention to how we produce them and ensure that this occurs ethically and in accordance with the best environmental standards. This should concern us, precisely, to ensure that books, which play such a vital role in our lives, continue to do so in the future – which can only be achieved through ethical use of the planet’s valuable resources. This applies to Portugal, but also to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the USA, the world.
And what is being done?
Especially after 2021, when the United Nations Global Conference on Climate Action took place in Glasgow, many editorial houses began to wake up to the idea that we had to do something – and urgently. Therefore, many publishers have committed to becoming Net Zero by 2030, 2040 or 2050. In my company, for example, we chose 2040. After defining the goal, we asked: “What steps do we need to take now? What do we need to do in the coming years?” In this question, we start by looking at organizations, which is different from looking at an individual book.
In what sense is it different?
If we look at an organization, we are taking into account the environmental impact of a building, the energy source, the computers we use, the Zoom meeting we are having, and this is very different from the issues that arise at the level of product. Basically, it’s about incorporating these Net Zero by 2040 objectives into the workflow itself, all the way down to the individual product. And decisions are made every day by editors, writers, printers, paper mills, retailers – they can all have a very positive impact. This bird’s-eye view helps us better understand what the right choice is, both now and in the future, and where we need to collaborate. What is the life cycle of a book and what is its impact.
That’s why co-founded O Publishing 2030 Accelerator?
Yes. This project, started two years ago, serves to establish a methodology that allows us to account for the carbon footprint of each book. It was the first time anyone had tried doing this. There are many publishers participating and trying to understand what the steps are. And, in 2023, after the Book 2.0 – “The Future of Reading” conference, promoted by APEL in Lisbon, we concluded that Portugal would be a great example. It’s a small market compared to the UK or the US. We know that there are some large publishers, printers and paper manufacturers. And if we could analyze this issue from a life cycle or supply chain perspective, perhaps we would arrive at a number or a reference that would allow us to understand what this means in terms of the impact, in Portugal, of the production and reading of books .
Has this study in Portugal already started?
No, we are starting now. It is the first country where it is being carried out.
Will you have to contemplate a portrait of the book industry in the country?
What I know, through APEL, is that a lot of printing is done in Portugal, which is great, as we can look at the specificities of production. We also know the characteristics of a couple of large publishers that represent a good part of the market. When we think about Net Zero, we think about change. And it is the larger companies that have the resources to put it into practice. Then, this change helps everyone move forward at the same pace. Notice, we generally think about the volume of books, but not the impact it has on carbon emissions. This one [estudo] It is the first step to knowing whether the data to get there is available and how useful it is. And the interesting thing here is that whatever number comes out of that doesn’t matter that much. Whether it’s one or a thousand, it will serve to give an idea of the paths that can take us closer to Net Zero.
From the outset, based on your experience in the area, what type of information is crucial to obtain?
We have to understand where we can improve. Is it efficiency in printing processes? Better product distribution? The practices of partners in the supply chain? To obtain all this information, a dialogue is necessary throughout the entire production chain of a book. Once the main challenges are identified, we can see where the opportunities lie. Because the success of this depends on everyone moving in the same direction.
Which organizations are being called upon to collaborate?
I don’t know the specifics of the various companies that have signed up and we are still trying to define the group, but I can say that we are trying to get representation from the entire supply chain. Paper producers, for example, as well as printers, publishers and booksellers.
When will the study be ready?
We are aiming for the second edition of Book 2.0, at the beginning of September. Right now, we are involving everyone and then we will look at the available data, analyze the numbers, do interviews. In the end, we will write the study so that, in September, we will have the report with the ideas and conclusions.
There has been talk about the disappearance of the physical book for years. Do you think the future is a completely digital book industry?
This is an important question. There will be sectors where a transition to digital may make sense. For example, I am in the field of academic publishing – books, magazines and scientific publications. In this area we are already 90 percent digital. But I don’t believe this will happen in the field of education. Therefore, we need to think about how we can have the books we like printed, but made with as little carbon as possible. Understand where we are now in the Portuguese book market and where simple transformations could be made. In general, carbon reduction is linked to reducing costs and minimizing waste. If you print books that are never sold, that’s not good. I think the study will give us a reference on the current situation, the areas we can prioritize now and those we will have to think about in the longer term.
What role does the capacity for innovation play here?
You cannot achieve Net Zero without innovation. And I’m not just talking about digital innovation. This will certainly happen, but also at the paper level – the different combinations of recycled materials or fibers.
When you talk about Net Zero, what exactly are you referring to?
Net Zero is a state in which all annually emitted global emissions are effectively removed from the atmosphere. It’s a scientific concept, but it has been very useful for governments and organizations – not just publishers, but also large companies like BP and Shell – to understand how they will combat the climate crisis. I believe that what can be measured can be changed. And I think that by having the data, the shift will be towards more efficient processes and more efficient use of resources. But let me be clear: this is not about making everything digital. Digital also produces emissions – there are data servers, user devices, namely Kindles…
How do you see the long-term future? Is going into a store and buying a book a gesture on the verge of extinction?
It is something very normal in our lives, which will undergo transformations. Again, I think it’s a question of efficiency. The reader wants to go to the store and buy the book, but they don’t want 16 copies of that book to be returned, right? Therefore, we want to continue to have this fantastic experience, but in a way that does not consume more resources than necessary.
There is a lot of waste in the book industry, books that are ultimately destroyed. How can this be avoided?
Measuring it. Giving it a number, a quantitative dimension. Knowing how and why the book was returned. Once we know the number, we can start managing it. The study aims to quantify some of the industry’s practices, as a starting point for ending waste.
Is it necessary to better control print runs? How do you manage the contrast between the expectation of printing a thousand books and the reality of sales?
There are risks. This is why dialogue is so important, as is concrete data, in order to make more accurate predictions. We have entered a new era of technology, but personally I don’t think this means moving from print to digital, but rather making more accurate predictions. Again, if we have the numbers, we can move towards reducing them. We have seven years until 2030, and seven years is a long time. If we make the data available and identify where we need innovation, by 2030 Portugal could be far ahead of other countries.
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