"No matter where people are on the political spectrum, it's becoming more and more evident that global climate change is the existential issue of our time," said Dan Cullen, senior strategy officer of the American Booksellers Association, during a Wi15 panel on green retailing and climate change last week.
Cullen moderated the discussion, which included Meryl Halls, managing director of the Booksellers Association of the U.K. and Ireland; Nic Bottomley, president of the BA and co-owner of Mr. B's Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath, England; and Julie Beddingfield, owner and manager of Inkwood Books in Haddonfield, N.J.
Last fall, Cullen reported, the ABA set up a green bookselling task force made up of 18 booksellers. While the task force has had only one official meeting so far, the ABA is looking to follow in footsteps of the BA, which formed a similar task force a few years ago. Halls explained that the BA has so far started a conversation throughout the wider industry and "taken some baby steps." The first step was composing something of a manifesto featuring a mix of aspirations, political goals and practical steps that the BA could take.
Bottomley recalled that during the task force's early meetings, many of those present began "laying into" booksellers' supply chain partners, but they soon began focusing on how to "empower and inform" the BA's own members first. They realized that before bringing in supply chain partners, BA members had to get their own houses "as much in order as possible." Some of the practical first steps that the BA have taken include trying to set up an opt-in program for receiving galleys and ARCs; asking publishers to limit the amount of unsolicited marketing materials that they send to booksellers; working to reduce the size of paper receipts; and other "easy wins."
Looking ahead, Bottomley continued, the industry is going to have the tackle the "huge questions," which will likely involve some sort of systemic change in the industry. The "biggy" is the huge amount of books "shipped around to be destroyed," as well as the waste associated with the ways the industry moves stock. He warned that the issue is not as "black and white" as it may seem, noting that the plants that process and recycle returned books are typically much more efficient than curbside recycling.
On the subject of returns, Halls agreed that it is the single biggest issue and will be the "hardest conversation to have." At the same time, responsibility doesn't lie solely with publishers and distributors. Booksellers have to talk about "being better booksellers," and learn to buy better and reduce their returns. She added that there is still a lot of work to be done in simply assessing the environmental impact of the book business. So far, she said, publishers have been eager to start that process and have agreed to share information.
Beddingfield, meanwhile, offered a breakdown of the many steps she's taken at her store to be more sustainable. She reported that Inkwood Books is certified as sustainable under both a municipal-level program and a state-wide program, and she pointed out that while it can vary from state to state, there are often government rebate programs for things like adding LED lights and buying environmentally friendly appliances such as refrigerators and even HVAC systems. She buys all of her business cards and gift certificates from a local printer, and buys food for events from local sources.
She's eliminated single-use plastics from her store, which has included buying water bottles for her staff and getting reusable, plastic wine glasses to use during events. The store's toilet paper and tissues are from a company called Who Gives a Crap and made entirely from bamboo. Almost all of her cleaning is done with a vinegar and water solution mixed in a spray bottle (she assured the audience that it does not make a store smell like vinegar), and uses recycled Ellerkamp bags.
When it comes to unwanted galleys, she and her staff turn them into a variety of decorations, including bows for gift-wrapped books. And instead of recycling large boxes and other packing materials, Beddingfield stores them in her basement and allows community members to take whatever they need. She also donates cardboard displays for children's books to teachers and librarians. She added that while she would rather not get those materials in the first place, "finding creative ways to use [them] has been fun and challenging." --Alex Mutter