Background
Aims of the project
This map is a result of the work completed by Task & Finishing Working Group of the BIC Environmental Accreditation
Badges project. The project is part of the BIC Green Supply Chain Committee Work Plan which is leading various environmental and sustainability projects to help the book industry supply chain.
The aim of this project is to help the industry make better purchasing decisions and allow for sustainability data to be included in the ONIX feeds from publishers to the wider world. The project was to research all the sustainability accreditation badges and standards, otherwise referred to as ‘badges,’ which are applicable to the book industry supply chain. These badges would then be curated onto a ‘map’ at the point in the supply chain that they are relevant and used by organisations.
Alternatively, mainly in the case of the ISO standards, they would be applicable across the whole supply chain as they are about the processes a company uses in its business and not about a particular point in the supply chain.
How the badges have been reviewed
Initial research found 91 potential badges, but upon further investigation this original list was reduced to 49 badges. This investigation first looked at whether each badge was an accreditation or standard, if it was applicable to the book industry supply chain and what type of entity it was certifying.
The project then proceeded with a deeper dive into 34 specific areas of each badge, covering environmental and social responsibility credentials and so this number was refined again. It was then decided to include not only the relevant badges to the book industry supply chain, but also the organisations that provide useful information along with relevant regulations. The finally tally is currently 34 badges, 47 organisations of useful information and 14 regulations. The listed badges certify for both environmental and social responsibility and have been reviewed considering the key impact areas they assess, the quality of their governance and the support provided for organisations to improve their impact. The map is a guide to the badges available to the industry and does not compare one against another. Its purpose is to provide the user with information to help them make better sustainability and purchasing decisions and to lead the user to investigate other helpful websites.
If you would like to see an example of the questionnaire used in the review process then you can download a copy of the questions below.
How to use the online Map and PDF file
It is possible to use the online map in a number of ways. You can either enter it from the list of badges if you know what you are looking for.
Alternatively, you can look at the diagram of the supply chain and pick a badge in its location on the map. In both instances you can click on the logo or icon, and this will take you to the environmental and social responsibility data about that badge or to the relevant website.
The PDF version is a downloadable file from the main online Map. The PDF version displays basic data about the various sustainability accreditation badges and standards, as well as an information section, that are applicable to the book industry supply chain. For the full data around the environmental and social responsibility of the badges you need to look at the online Map.
Gap Analysis
From all the research for this project there are really only four areas that do not have accreditation badges applicable to them. However, any organisation working in these areas could obtain an ISO standard for their processes. These areas are: Consumables, waste, shipping and Ebook supply chain. These areas may not have an accreditation badge, but they are covered in other ways.
Download the Gap Analysis document to find out more.
Useful information
During the project a number of organisations and regulations were found in the research phase. Although these are not actual badges they are still very informative for the industry. So, these have been included around the online map, allowing the user to read some basic information about them combined with a link to the website for further investigation and reading.
This information is also available in the PDF version.