S&S Rolls Out Green-er Paper Policy

By Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly, 11/7/2007 7:52:00 AM

Simon & Schuster is committing to saving the Earth, or at least a few of its trees. The publisher has made a public commitment to use more environmentally friendly paper, a move which will, according to its calculations, save 483,000 trees every year.

Following in the footsteps of Random House, which became the first major publisher to establish a green publishing policy when it announced in May it would significantly up its use of recycled paper, S&S plans to increase the level of recycled fiber in its paper from 10% to 25% by 2012.

S&S, which worked with the Green Press Initiative and other groups to come up with its policy, also announced a goal to buy 10% of its paper from forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. This, according to Green Press Initiative spokesman Tyson Miller, marks the first time a publisher is working with the FSC, an organization that ensures the fibers used in paper are not coming from endangered forests or from trees on land owned by indigenous tribes.
 
In addition to using more recycled paper, S&S is making other eco-friendly moves. Among them is an electronic manuscript program for its sales reps. The program, which it estimates will reduce the production of galleys by 20,000 copies annually, will enable sales reps to download manuscripts on eBook readers provided by the publisher. A similar program for editors is also in development.

When asked when he thought the other big houses might follow suit, Miller said "a very large multinational publisher” will be going public with a paper policy before the end of the year and that three other houses will be making similar announcements in 2008.