The impact of humans on the earth’s climate and ecosystem is undoubtedly the greatest challenge facing humanity. For Bonnier Books, it is obvious that we should take our share of responsibility and we are therefore working actively to reduce and remove our climate footprint through the following two main initiatives:
Reducing GHG Emissions
All Bonnier Books’ emissions – from our own operations, our business travel, the production of our books and the materials we use – must have been reduced by 25 % from the 2019 level by 2025 in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
Offsetting the Remaining Emissions
For the emissions we can’t currently avoid, we are investing in emission reduction projects registered under international standards such as Verra and verified by third-party auditing bodies such as DNV, from the year 2021. Furthermore, for every cent we earmark for climate protection projects, we will invest an additional 20 % with the aim of removing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over time than we emit.
Read more about our offsetting projects here.
In our base year 2019, we emitted 130,115 tonnes of greenhouse gases, measured in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). This calculation covers all of our operations at that time and includes Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, which means that we measure a book’s entire life cycle – from raw material to new raw material. Our measurements are closely aligned with the most rigorous standard for measuring and achieving climate neutrality, PAS 2060, developed by the British Standards Institute. The underlying calculations follow internationally accepted standards such as the GHG Protocol.
Our goals have been set together with our climate partner, South Pole, with which we have been working since 2018 to ensure that we measure correctly, set correct goals and in all respects follow the existing regulations. More information about Bonnier Books’ result can be found here: 2019, 2020.
It is important to emphasize that our main goal is to reduce our emissions both in the short and long term. Offsetting is what we do only to compensate for the emissions we cannot yet avoid.
Extending our Commitment
The Science Based Targets Initiative
To inspire further commitment and contribute to a greater understanding of our emissions targets, we are affiliated with the Science Based Targets Initiative. This is a collaboration between the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the World Resources Institute (WRI), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the UN Global Compact (UNGC). With our submitted targets to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25% until 2025 (based on 2019), we are consistent with reductions required to keep global warming to 1.5°C. The target for Scope 3 (as above) exceeds minimum requirements for the 2°C pathway and is therefore considered ambitious.
Sustainable Production Practices
Our group-wide sustainable production practices also cover environmental and social aspects in respect to our suppliers. A Code of Conduct developed by the Book Chain Project, a system for measuring the work of our printers – EVA, and a group-wide policy for how we produce our books based on four of the UN’s sustainability goals. Click to read more.
Going Forward
It is reasonable to assume that in the next few years we will experience changes that we have not previously been able to imagine. Consequently, our strategy is based on a five-year vision and based on the information and science available to us today.
Bonnier Books’ ambition is to continue to spread stories and knowledge that increase understanding of our world.
If you cannot find what you are looking for or if you have any questions regarding our climate initiatives, please email sustainability@bonnierbooks.com.