Our Environmental and Ethical Policy
First Published November 2007
Updated Winter 2011
Introduction
Hachette UK is committed to working with environmental organisations to ensure that its policies and practices not only protect the environment but also improve it wherever practical. Our environmental policy is part of a broader range of social responsibility policies that include a focus on working conditions at our own sites and those of suppliers, a responsible attitude to our suppliers, equal opportunities and charitable giving.
Our view is that care for the environment goes hand in hand with good business practice and we are continually developing and revising a sustainable publishing model to satisfy ever more ambitious aspirations in both these respects.
The area in which we believe we can make the biggest difference is in the sourcing and conservation of paper, board and packaging. We are profoundly concerned that our use of these materials should not destroy or degrade ancient forest habitats that are home to people, animals, birds and plants and we positively reject irresponsible logging. Furthermore, as the largest publisher in the UK, with sister companies all over the world and with extensive contact with other like-minded publishers, we believe that our active participation in reform can lead to our being able to make a difference to an extent beyond that which has yet been achieved by other publishers whose businesses are smaller and simpler.
The following statement of detail was issued following consultation with Greenpeace for whose help we are grateful.
Paper
We expect our suppliers of paper sourced all over the world to declare to us the sources of the paper used in printing our books. Hachette UK is a founding member of PREPS (Publishers’ Database for Responsible Environmental Paper Sourcing) which helps in this regard by providing robust and transparent means of differentiating between the environmental credentials of a very wide variety of types of paper.
We will not knowingly use paper sourced from any ancient or endangered forests and we are committed to the phasing out of any particularly controversial sources of paper fibre.
Where practical and viable, we give preference to post-consumer recycled fibre and we aim to ensure that any virgin fibre used is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®). We are working with our suppliers to increase the availability of commercially viable and attractive papers that maximise post-consumer recycled content.
We support the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the leading international forest management certification association. The FSC has undertaken remarkable work to establish ‘chain of custody’ from forest to pulp to paper so that publishers can much more reliably establish the true source of their papers than was the case even a few years ago.
The HUK group has FSC certification. Such certification confirms that we have in place watertight procedures to ensure that we maximise our knowledge of the sources of our paper and only indicate that FSC paper is being used in the production of our titles when we have full supporting evidence. Because of the size, diversity and federal structure of our group it was more practical to achieve certification on a company by company basis.
Most of the board used in the production of books published by our trade divisions is FSC-certified via the relevant supplier.
While we consider that FSC certification is the highest available standard, if we are unable to use it in the short term we universally apply other standards to ensure that our paper sourcing does not run contrary to our environmental principles. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) provides a framework for the mutual recognition of different national and regional certification schemes.
It is our preference to use paper mills, printers and other suppliers who have gained or who have applied for EMS ISO 14001 accreditation. IS0 14001 is an internationally accepted standard that sets out effective Environmental Management Systems recognising a commitment to effective management of waste, careful use of energy and ensuring recycling processes are in line with government standards.
We take environmental issues and good practice very seriously at our distribution centres. Bookpoint and Littlehampton Book Services have EMS IS0 14001. Littlehampton Book Services and Bookpoint are among the first Distributor recipients of the new BIC Supply Chain Excellence Award. This new award, which replaces the e4books scheme, widens the parameters beyond the traditional supply chain for books.
We are actively reducing our use of paper in the office, by reducing the amount of photocopying and printing. For example the Octopus Publishing Group has reduced its use of office paper by 12% in the last 2 years. We remain committed to using recycled and FSC-certified paper for photocopying, business correspondence and marketing materials within all our offices.
Ethical Trading
Hachette UK is also a founding member of Prelims (Publishers Resolution for Ethical International Manufacturing Standards). This publishing initiative has now been widely adopted by publishers throughout the UK and has adopted the code of conduct used by the International Council of Toy Industries. It is a practical, thorough and fair system of monitoring conditions and treatment of workers in factories outside the EU and we aim to only use suppliers who have passed the audit or who are working with us to gain accreditation.
In addition Hachette Children’s Books ensures that all books with play value have been tested and have passed the European Safety Standard EN71.
Recycling
We recycle as much paper, packaging and other waste as possible. Our UK warehouses recycle well over 90% of their waste. Both Hachette warehouses (Bookpoint and Littlehampton Book Services) have their own shredding and baling machines to reduce the number of truck miles used in transporting waste paper to recyclers.
Recycling is a major priority in publishing offices too. For example, our head office in the Euston Road recycles over 80% of its waste and we review our practices continually to ensure we maintain and, if possible, exceed our high targets in this area.
Reduction of Emissions
For general environmental reasons we believe that emissions of many other substances into the atmosphere, water and land are to be avoided as far as possible and we are therefore attending to the processes by which our source materials are made as well as to the wood used in their making and to the carbon dioxide emissions involved in the wider business of publishing.
We are determined to reduce our carbon emissions. We have established our operational carbon footprint across the HUK group and are working on reducing our emissions wherever possible.
We have already achieved reductions in energy consumption at our head office in Euston Road by installing movement sensors on all lights that are activated outside of normal offices hours so only lights that need to be on are activated; with the installation of electric immersion heaters on the hot water system serving the kitchens and toilets, so the main boilers can be fully switched off during the summer; switching off the sodium lighting around the exterior of the building during the summer; installing a new building management system that means the mechanical and electrical plant now operates more efficiently.
We aim to reduce our water usage by 20% by 2012, and continue to reduce our energy consumption by increasing the amount of movement sensor lighting; reviewing the run times of the building air conditioning systems to see if start up and shut down times can be adjusted at certain times of the year; reducing the number of lift cars that operate outside normal office hours.
Returns and Overstocks
There is no better example of our concern to make best business practice and environmental considerations compatible than in the approach we are now taking to the control of returns. The printing and multiple transportation of books that may eventually be pulped is both costly and environmentally damaging and we are committed to reducing this practice. To this end, both Hachette distribution sites operate IRI, the industry standard returns processing system which was initiated by the Booksellers Association and the Publishers Association to reduce cost and increase efficiency in the book industry supply chain.
Our overall returns policy was originally designed so that we as publishers should share with our customers much of the risk involved in the promoting and stocking of books. It specifically precludes ‘shelf-clearing’, the practice of sending back to us for credit books which do sell well but may be temporarily in excess of booksellers’ ideal requirements at their financial year ends or for other reasons of stringency or convenience.
Hachette UK works closely and co-operatively with all its customers, with the aim of further reducing our returns rate to our mutual benefit and for the greater benefit of the environment. Control of returns form an important component of the Vendor Buying Agreements in place with all major customers.
Our forecasting systems, print run evaluation policies and fast-turnaround contracts with printers have enabled us to reduce our stockholdings relative to sales over many years and we shall continue to improve our performance in this regard throughout the group. This further substantially reduces our paper usage and related costs in keeping with our view that conservation should be our overriding aim.
Monitoring and Reporting
Hachette UK has an Environmental and Ethical Board which meets at least four times a year to lead, monitor and report on the group’s environmental and ethical initiatives. This board reports to the main board, at which these matters are standing agenda items. Further, the majority of our divisions also have their own Environmental Committees addressing more local needs. We report fully and regularly on the progress we are making on all environmental initiatives.
Tim Hely Hutchinson, CEO of Hachette UK said: “Our environmental policy demonstrates that care for the environment and good business practices go hand in hand. We know that environmental issues are hugely important to our staff, our customers and our authors and I am delighted that we have brought together the best practices of all our companies into one policy for the group.”
Belinda Fletcher, Senior Forests Campaigner at Greenpeace UK said:
“By choosing recycled fibre and paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council for their books, Hachette UK is making great strides towards being a truly forest friendly company. Greenpeace welcomes Hachette UK’s ethical and environmental policy – once implemented, it will be great news both for the environment and for consumers.”
Statement of Business Ethics
We pride ourselves on our reputation for acting fairly and ethically wherever we do business. Our reputation is built on our values as a company, the values of our employees and our collective commitment to acting with integrity throughout our organisation. We condemn corruption in all its forms and will not tolerate it in our business or in those we do business with.
Our Employee Handbook and Code of Conduct sets out what we expect of our staff, how they should behave and what they should do if confronted with corruption.
The code is for the benefit of staff as much as for the company. The potential harm done by bribery, both to the company and to individual members of staff, is long term. If convicted of a bribery offence, the company might get a significant fine and suffer lasting reputational damage. If an individual is convicted of a bribery offence, they could personally face up to ten years in prison.
In accordance with the requirements of anti-bribery legislation, the company will:
• maintain its current good and ethical practices.
• meet all relevant anti-bribery and corruption legislation and regulation appropriate to the business.
• assess and keep under review its activities, especially in jurisdictions deemed to be risky, and act on any areas that may pose risk.
• will set objectives and targets to respond to these risky areas and periodically review progress.
• ensure all employees are made and kept aware of our policy and its objectives.
• ensure relevant staff, especially those operating in identified sectors or jurisdictions, will be trained.
The Chief Executive Officer is ultimately responsible for preventing bribery and corruption within the company. The CEO ensures that the company’s policy is maintained and that adequate resources are made available for its effective implementation. Responsibility for ensuring that the specific arrangements defined in the policy are understood and implemented is delegated to Divisional Finance Directors.
For further information, please contact:
Clare Harington, Group Communications Director, Hachette UK
0207 873 6108
clare.harington@hachette.co.uk