The recent Australian Publishers Association (APA) survey on sustainability is shedding light on the industry’s role in addressing climate change. By gathering insights on the environmental practices of publishers, the survey highlights both progress and areas for improvement in reducing carbon footprints and adopting eco-friendly operations. This initiative is helping to drive meaningful changes within the publishing sector, encouraging businesses to align with sustainability goals and contribute to global climate action efforts.
What do the results tell us?
The survey tracks the progress of 27 Australian publishers across education, academic and professional publishing. The top results include:
- Publishers are increasing their capacity to address sustainability: Over 50% of publishers now have a person or team with direct responsibility for developing the sustainability agenda.
- Publishers are also setting specific targets: over a quarter of the respondents are setting targets on areas such as using FSC or recycled paper, reducing energy, waste and the use of plastics.
- Publishers are gathering carbon data: 44% of respondents are collecting environmental data from their suppliers with just under 20% calculating their own carbon emissions.
The sustainability working group of the APA is aiming to continue to measure progress in the industry. The 2024 results were released alongside five practical steps that publishers can take to reduce their environmental impact.
UNSW Press CEO Kathy Bail, chair of the Sustainability Working Group, called on all publishers in Australia to get involved: ‘It’s important for publishers to make a start. With these recommendations, every publisher can identify some achievable wins. For instance, we know that appointing someone or a team in your organisation to look after sustainability can be a powerful driver for positive change.
Another initiative of the Australian sustainability working group is the Greener Publishing Guide, an introduction to current environmental best practice for publishers.
