BIC, BISG, and BookNet Canada have joined forces to create the Green Book Alliance (GBA) which will see information sharing, joint planning, environmental events, and other initiatives.
Discussions have identified several opportunities to collaborate, including:
- Collecting and sharing best practice information, with links to any applicable standards
- Publishing environmental news of relevance to the book industry
- Conducting environmental research, with an opportunity to align studies
- Offering a central resource for environmental information and ideas
- Hosting global green book supply chain events
- Developing an annual Green Global Supply Chain award
- Testing the idea of a Global Green Book Supply Chain accreditation, with work required to establish how it might complement ISO14001
- Collaborating to develop a united green programme of work
Read the full press release and read the current GBA news.
GBA Book Carbon Calculator
The GBA Book Carbon Calculator, launched on 16th June 2026, is a new free tool designed to help publishers and book industry organisations measure and better understand their carbon emissions. Developed to support organisations of all sizes, the calculator offers a practical and accessible way for publishing professionals to begin tracking emissions data and identifying opportunities for more sustainable practices across their operations.
The calculator allows users to:
- Measure the carbon footprint of an individual book
- Make more informed, lower-impact production decisions
- Measure emissions across key operational areas
- Establish organisational baselines
- Track sustainability progress over time
- Engage in internal sustainability planning and reporting
The launch marks a significant step forward in the publishing industry’s growing commitment to environmental responsibility and climate action. By making emissions tracking more approachable and industry-specific, the GBA Book Carbon Calculator aims to empower organisations to make informed decisions and build long-term sustainability strategies grounded in data.
Access the calculator
https://gbacarboncalculator.org/en
GBA Survey
The three organisations subsequently launched a global survey to better understand what initiatives were currently being taken by industry organizations, as well as upcoming priorities. The results of the survey were shared in early 2021, and are available on request.
Introducing the GBA Publisher-Printer Sustainability Checklist
After lengthy consultations with publishers and printers in Canada, the UK and the US, we are happy to make our Printer-Publisher Sustainability Checklist available. The checklist can be viewed online and downloaded from this link.
The checklist aims to help foster discussions between publishers and printers around environmental sustainability in manufacturing books. The checklist was produced in a Q&A format to represent sustainability questions that publishers are asking of printers and how printers might answer those questions.
A special thanks to all the publishers and printers that participated in developing this checklist.