We’ve all heard of the little black book, well here comes the little green book. Indeed, Dorling Kindersley - part of the Penguin Group - is promising the most environmentally friendly reads available. It boasts that the new series will be the greenest range on the market, hopefully encouraging other publishers to turn over a new leaf.
The Made With Care series has no book jacket in a bid to cut down on paper wastage, and it is printed with vegetable inks on paper sourced from sustainable forestry. It also uses 100 per cent recycled card. Titles in the range so far include Earth Matters, Grow Organic, Make It! and Green Babycare, a book for children on recycling. Can they get any greener?
Well apparently they can. DK are spending twice the amount it usually costs to manufacture a book, by using German printer Mohn Media rather than exploiting cheap labour in the Far East. The idea is to cut down on superfluous air travel.
“We are launching the range at a bit of a loss leader to see how it goes,” said Miriam Farbey, Dorling Kindersley’s global publisher. “We are hoping to pass on some of the cost because people will pay for ethical goods. The demand is there.”
Gary June, Dorling Kindersley’s CEO, said the Made with Care series provides a “best practice example of how green and clean books can be produced in the future.
“Plus it also gives both adults and children an opportunity to be environmentally inspired while making an ethical purchase.”
Hachette Livre’s Little, a Brown imprint already uses Forest Stewardship Council-accredited paper, where a tree is planted for every one used, and the publisher is aiming to cut down on the number of unsold copies that are pulped. But Dorling Kindersley have upped the anti somewhat. The great paper chase is on.
Its a pretty cool way to make people know abt the recycling of paper wastage n abt the conservation of Biodiversity.
Comment by julian arathoon — April 14, 2008 @ 7:39 am
what an excellent idea for not only puttin forward issues that effect all of us but also an inspirational and new way of makin books. I will definitly be spendin some spondoolies on them! hats off and respect to the brains behind the books.
Comment by Leila Maza — May 10, 2008 @ 12:40 pm