While helping me do research for this column, my young assistant drew my attention to the SDG Publishers’ Compact which was launched by the International Publishers Association (IPA) and the United Nations in 2020 at Frankfurter Buchmesse, an edition held entirely online because of the COVID situation at the time. The partnerships page of the UN site for this initiative says the following:

“This SDG Publishers Compact is designed to inspire action among publishers. Launched in collaboration with the International Publishers Association, the compact aims to accelerate progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

“Signatories aspire to develop sustainable practices and act as champions of the Sustainable Development Goals during the Decade of Action (2020 to 2030), publishing books and journals that will help inform, develop, and inspire action in that direction.”

In the spirit of this initiative, I thought to dig a little to see what we—in the Indian publishing industry—are doing to make our practices more sustainable. The publishers we checked with were both big and small, multinational and local, part of large conglomerates and independent, English-language and Indian-language focused, as well as activist in nature or entirely driven by profit.

Not everyone is doing all of what’s listed below. However, these are the efforts that we were able to accumulate from across this large cross-section of the Indian publishing industry.

Packaging

• Using recyclable packaging materials
• Using returnable packaging
• Using adhesives instead of plastic tape
• Replacing traditional monsoon packing sheets with innovative, eco-friendly alternatives such as biodegradable or recycled sheets and recycled paper cushioning
• Repurposing cartons from air shipments whenever possible

Saving Energy

• Shifting to solar
• Enhancing warehousing sustainability by replacing all conventional lighting with energy-efficient LED lamps, which has led to reductions in energy costs and extended the lifespan of the fixtures; that in turn has minimized replacement and maintenance costs
• Encouraging community initiatives to counterbalance carbon emissions, and advocating for reforestation efforts and fostering environmental sustainability; often, this involves partnerships with local NGOs [non-governmental organizations] and local communities

Paper Usage and Production

• Checking for suppliers’ accreditation to see that they use paper certified by established entities, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
• Procuring paper from certified mills
• Transitioning to recycled paper

Change in Technology

• Using lower GSM (grams per square meter) in paper, which can save newsprint
• Using slightly thinner paper (less wood fiber) so that lighter loads are shipped and emissions involving print books are reduced
• Using more compact typefaces without compromising on readability
• Switching to process-free plates: leading to less water pollution and, as a bonus, printers can gain back the real estate typically used to house plate chemicals
• Calibrating equipment for precision to reduce wastage
• Using soy/vegetable-based inks which emit less volatile organic compounds than traditional inks, which are made from petroleum products
• Using UV printing/drip-off printing (hybrid varnish) over traditional offset printing; conventional offset printing uses inks with high VOC content (volatile organic compounds). In contrast, UV inks emit 75 to 80 percent fewer VOCs, reduces the need for plastic film-based lamination, and are safer for people and the planet
• Shifting to print on demand and digital printing
• Handmade books: using the silkscreen process on locally made handmade paper

Effective Waste Management

• Reuse, recycle, repair as much as possible to reduce waste
• Waste segregation so that effective recycling is possible

Notes for Younger Publishing Workers

In case a young person in the industry is reading this column and feeling motivated to do something in her or his office space, here’s some useful advice, which my young friends who are also environmental activists gave me. 

“In order to persuade older people in charge of systems in your office space to work to make operations more sustainable, don’t lead with the “save the Earth” argument. Lead instead with the argument that it will save energy, and therefore, costs.“

In order to persuade older people in charge of systems in your office space to work to make operations more sustainable, don’t lead with the “save the Earth” argument. Chances are, it will fall flat on its face, because of the general cynicism older people (like myself) are wont to exhibit. Lead instead with the argument that it will save energy, and therefore, costs. This will likely get them excited enough to give your suggestion a shot.

All the same, while it always helps to be pragmatic even when we’re effecting change, it also helps to pay some attention to the bigger picture. My hope is that this column might interest those in my industry not thinking at all about sustainability to actually start doing so, and others who are doing some of what is listed above, to do more.

And here’s a note about the increasing use of AI-dependent software in publishing.

Many people who have decided to think more sustainably in my industry are still championing the use of AI, paying no attention whatsoever to the potentially devastating effects of its increasing use. So, here’s a friendly reminder. The culprits are, of course, the huge levels of infrastructure such as the data centers the exploding use of AI requires. A McKinsey & Company report from October (AI Power: Expanding Data Center Capacity To Meet Growing Demand) reads, “Our analysis of current trends suggests that global demand for data center capacity could rise at an annual rate of between 19 and 22 percent from 2023 to 2030, to reach an annual demand of 171 to 219 gigawatts (GW). … This contrasts with the current demand of 60 GW, raising the potential for a significant supply deficit. To avoid a deficit, at least twice the data center capacity built since 2000 would have to be built in less than a quarter of the time.”

Recently, a reference to this information went viral: “When comparing the average electricity demand of a typical Google search (0.3 watt-hours of electricity) to OpenAI’s ChatGPT (2.9 watt-hours per request), and considering 9 billion searches daily, this would require almost 10 terawatt hours of additional electricity in a year, as reported by the International Energy Agency in its Analysis and Forecast to 2026. 

The United Nations Environment Program reports, “Globally, AI-related infrastructure may soon consume six times more water than Denmark, a country of 6 million.” 

The World Resources Institute has estimated that here in India, 40 percent of the population might not have access to water by 2040. Put the two sets of statistics together, and considering 9 billion searches daily, this would require almost 10 TWh of additional electricity in a year.

As one of the foremost knowledge-based industries, perhaps it’s incumbent on us in publishing to put to better use the knowledge we already possess about climate crisis and the devastation that might lie ahead.

Research assistance by Vagmita.

A programming note: At Frankfurt this year (October 15 to 19), the International Publishers Association will hold another edition of its popular “Sustainability Summit.” That’s on October 15 from 1 to 2 p.m., the Congress Center 2, Room Conclusio.