Sustainable Production at Bonnier Books: Leading by Example

At Bonnier Books, sustainability is at the heart of how we operate. Our approach to responsible production is comprehensive, addressing the entire lifecycle of our books — from the raw materials we use to the end-of-life considerations for each product.

Setting Ambitious Goals and Achieving Results

We are pleased to see significant progress in our efforts to reduce our environmental footprint. By 2023, we had already surpassed our initial target of a 25% greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction, achieving a 34% reduction compared to our base year 2019. Building on this success, we have set even more ambitious goals, all measured against 2019:

  • Reduce GHG emissions by 55% (Scope 1 & 2) and 50% (Scope 3) by 2030.
  • Achieve a 90% GHG emission reduction by 2040, becoming a net-zero company.

Read more about Bonnier Books’ Climate Strategy.

Driving Responsibility in Our Supply Chain

Sustainability starts with our supply chain. We require all printing suppliers to adhere to our group-wide production policy and Code of Conduct, developed in partnership with The Book Chain Project. These guidelines ensure compliance with high standards for working conditions, human rights, and environmental practices.

Our EVA system (Evaluate, Validate, Approve) enables us to measure supplier performance in key areas such as environmental impact, material sourcing, and labour rights. This systematic approach not only tracks improvements over time but also allows us to provide actionable feedback to suppliers, driving collective progress.

Pioneering Innovations in Sustainable Materials

We’re proud to lead the way in developing innovative, eco-friendly materials:

In 2020, we pledged that, 95% of all paper used in our books would come from approved sources by 2025, such as FSC, PEFC, Nordic Swan-certified materials. This target was outperformed already in 2022. To ensure compliance, we annually conduct random third-party tests of selected titles to verify the origins of our materials and exclude unauthorized wood species. These are some of the commitments that serve as an extra level of commitment, on top of legislations and basic hygiene factors such as EUDR compliance. For a more detailed insight into our paper purchasing practices, please refer to our Paper Sourcing Commitments & Guidelines.

Responsible Production and Design Efficiency

We continuously improve production methods to optimize sustainability:

  • Standardized book formats minimize material waste during printing, shorten lead times and have a significant impact on transport-related emissions.
  • Partnering with agreement printers is a great way to reduce our footprint, as consolidated volumes ensure energy and material efficiency, backed by the leverage of substantial order volumes and strategic collaboration.
  • We prioritize low-impact materials, such as low GHG emission paper qualities to reduce our environmental impact.

At Bonnier Books, we define a “sustainable” product as one that has little or no negative impact on the environment before, during and after production, and is manufactured in harmony with human and labour rights. A sustainable product not only avoids (and mitigates) negative impacts but also promotes positive impacts. Sustainability doesn’t always refer to a binary categorization (‘good’, ‘bad’), but often means striking a balance. Trade-offs may remove a positive impact in one area while creating a new positive impact elsewhere. Responsible Production is a necessary dimension of a product’s lifecycle, from design to end-of-life.

Walking that extra mile takes us further

Our agreement suppliers account for the majority of our production volumes. For these key strategic partners (representing at least 75% of our print production volumes), we provide annual supplier-specific GHG emission reports and biennial EVA reports that serve as comprehensive benchmarks with actionable plans. “EVA” refers to our framework of assessing the overall sustainability performance of our suppliers; GHG reports take a deeper dive into the greenhouse gas emission performance. By doing so, we provide tangible insights and opportunities for progress that individual printers could not always achieve on their own.

This means that the benefits of being a Bonnier Books agreement supplier go beyond order volumes. Our agreement suppliers also receive valuable support in their ongoing efforts to reduce their environmental footprint – enhancing both their sustainability performance and their competitiveness. Being a Bonnier Books agreement supplier is not just a mark of distinction or commitment; it also opens new doors, driven by sustainability milestones.

This bilateral approach has, for example, resulted in significantly higher annual growth in EVA scores compared to the average spot suppliers, while rapidly reducing the GHG emission intensity.

As proud as we are of being one of the first publishing groups to commit to the SBTi, we are equally proud that already in 2024 one third our print agreement suppliers committed to the SBTi.

We collaborate and drive improvement in its true essence, and we remain fully committed to actively shaping a sustainable future for, and with, our industry.