Breaking Barriers: How Medium-Sized Publishers Can Lead in Sustainability

This guide offers practical steps to transform sustainability from a challenge into a competitive edge, helping you make impactful changes today.

1. Why Sustainability Has Become a Non-Negotiable in Publishing

Today, stakeholders, from buyers and libraries to authors and readers, expect genuine environmental commitments. It’s no longer optional; sustainability influences purchasing decisions, talent attraction, and brand reputation.

Every part of your operation impacts the environment:

• Print: Forest resources, water, energy, inks.
• Distribution: Shipping emissions.
• Digital: Data centres, devices, online platforms.

The payoff? Authentic green practices attract loyal audiences, save costs, and prepare you for upcoming regulations. Being an industry leader isn’t about size, it’s about bold, smart actions.

2. The Tough Turf: What Holds Back Medium-Sized Publishers?

Despite a clear business case, medium-sized publishers face hurdles such as tighter budgets, leaner HR teams, and limited capacity to hire dedicated sustainability staff. Deeply ingrained workflows may resist change, and reliance on fragmented vendor networks can slow progress. Negotiating new standards, like FSC-certified paper or carbon-neutral shipping, may disrupt established partnerships.

Yet, scepticism is often the biggest barrier. The good news? Progress begins with belief, and even small, targeted actions can create meaningful change.

3. Rethinking Print: Lowering Emissions Without Cutting Corners

Print remains a core part of many publishers’ businesses. The question isn’t whether to print but how to do it more sustainably. Transitioning to FSC or PEFC-certified recycled paper and vegetable-based inks can significantly lower your carbon footprint. Although these options may seem costly initially, competitive sourcing has narrowed the price gap.

Adopting print-on-demand and decentralized printing hubs reduces waste and shipping emissions. Instead of overprinting and warehousing unsold copies, you can produce smaller batches, enabling faster fulfilment and happier stakeholders. Building relationships with eco-conscious printers, who use renewable energy and water recycling, can further amplify your impact and open new marketing opportunities.

4. Rethinking Distribution: Making Logistics Part of the Solution

Distribution often underestimates its environmental impact. For medium-sized publishers, optimizing logistics can yield dramatic improvements. Auditing shipping routes to consolidate orders, reroute shipments more efficiently, and collaborate with partners can cut redundant journeys.

Sustainable packaging, recyclable, compostable, or reusable, reduces waste and emissions. Partnering with logistics providers focused on greener options, such as electrified fleets or carbon-neutral shipping, is increasingly accessible. Modern logistics platforms offer emissions tracking tools, helping you identify inefficiencies and make data-driven improvements.

5. The Digital Dilemma: Challenging the Green Assumptions Online

It’s tempting to think of eBooks and digital magazines as the ultimate sustainable solution. But the reality is more complex. Data centres, cloud networks, and end-user devices collectively carry a hidden environmental cost.

Addressing your digital impact starts by asking tough questions:

• Review your tech stack for sustainability. Are your cloud vendors using renewable energy? Have you optimized your digital files for minimal storage and transfer speeds, without compromising quality?
• Evaluate website and app efficiency. Clean, streamlined design, judicious caching, and avoidance of power-hungry plugins all smooth the user experience while conserving energy.
• Don’t forget the education piece. Inside your company and beyond, foster a mindset that “paperless” doesn’t equal “impact-free.” Messaging around smart digital habits, like using local device storage or enabling “green” viewing modes, can shift attitudes and behaviours.

6. Navigating the Maze: Sustainable Standards and Certifications

Regulations and standards evolve rapidly. For many small and medium publishers, achieving certifications like ISO 14001 or adhering to the GHG Protocol may seem overwhelming. Documentation and audits can be resource intensive.

Instead, focus on internal benchmarks inspired by these standards. Set practical goals, such as reducing paper use or digital energy consumption, and track key metrics. Transparent progress sharing builds credibility. Remember, progress is a journey; don’t let perfection be the barrier.

7. Quick Wins: Small Changes, Big Impact

Not every green initiative needs a massive overhaul or capital investment. Some of the most effective early steps can be surprisingly straightforward:

• Implement energy-saving habits in the workplace: remote work, optimized lighting and heating, and investment in efficient devices can add up quickly.
• Offer flexible schedules to reduce the impact of commuting and potentially downsize office footprint.
• Pool purchasing power with peer publishers for better deals on sustainable supplies.
• Conduct quick sustainability audits, simple walkthroughs or checklists can reveal new recycling or energy-saving opportunities.

Small wins build internal momentum, nurture buy-in, and free up resources to tackle bigger projects down the road.

8. Technology: Your Secret Weapon for Sustainable Progress

Today’s digital tools offer capabilities that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago:

• Automation platforms cut errors, save paper, and streamline workflows, making sustainability a byproduct of operational efficiency.
• Emissions and carbon tracking platforms, some built for publishing, give managers real-time data so changes can be targeted for maximum impact.
• Scalable reporting tools support everything from internal dashboards to external regulatory filings, underpinning more strategic decision-making.

With accessible SaaS platforms and open-source software, leading-edge analytics is possible for companies of all sizes, helping medium-sized publishers keep pace with (or leapfrog) larger competitors.

9. Beyond Policies: Cultivating a Culture of Sustainability

Success in sustainability isn’t just about policies, it’s about people. Culture is the engine that sustains momentum.

• Regularly ask for staff input. Employees on the ground often spot waste and improvement opportunities invisible from the boardroom.
• Celebrate every win. Whether it’s through internal newsletters, dashboards, or informal awards for “green champions,” highlighting positive steps keeps engagement high.
• Reward initiative. Meaningful recognitions, from simple appreciation to visible leadership shout-outs or bonuses, signal that individual action matters.

Embedding sustainability into your company values ensures it remains a priority—even when difficult choices arise.

10. Moving the Needle Together: The Power of Collective Influence

Medium-sized publishers are often strongest when they unite.

• Get involved in industry associations or working groups focused on sustainability. Collective advocacy can help craft regulations that acknowledge the realities of the mid-sized market and lower the costs of compliance for all.
• Be open about your journey, failures and triumphs alike. Sharing your story educates peers, normalizes the struggle, and strengthens the community.
• Push for public policy that recognizes the unique needs of small and mid-size businesses, such as phased adoption timelines or incentive programs that make compliance feasible for companies without deep pockets.

Your combined voice is powerful, use it to make a difference sector-wide.

11. Success Stories: Medium-Sized Publishers Making an Impact

Real-world examples prove what’s possible:

• A UK-based independent publisher adopted local print-on-demand, slashing warehouse waste by 60 percent and logistics costs by 30 percent. Their results inspired dozens more through trade association outreach.
• A mid-sized US children’s publisher pivoted to compostable mailers and recycled packaging, saving an estimated 50 tons of plastic annually. Their transparent storytelling not only boosted direct sales but attracted new author-partners.
• An Australian digital-only publisher organized an employee “energy hackathon”—with tweaks that, collectively, cut server energy consumption by 22 percent in a single quarter. That initiative set a new standard for future tech projects.

The through-line in each case? These publishers didn’t wait for things to be perfect, nor did they rely on massive budgets. They found context-specific solutions and leaned in.

12. Strategy to Results: Bridging the Gap

Goal-setting is the easy part. Transforming those ambitions into real-world results is where the challenge, and the opportunity lies.

• Prioritize a handful of initiatives where you can make the biggest impact: the low-hanging fruit, the visible shifts, or the changes with the strongest ROI.
• Establish a basic measurement system. Baseline your metrics, set short-term targets, and develop a simple cadence of reporting, internal dashboards shared with staff can go a long way.
• Course-correct regularly. Company-wide surveys or quarterly reviews can pinpoint what’s working, where you’re stalled, and how to re-focus resources.

Above all, remember: sustainability is a journey, not a finish line. Momentum builds with every step—each success becomes the foundation for the next. By steadily advancing, you show staff, partners, and customers that environmental stewardship is part of your company’s DNA.

Call to Action

Ready to turn your sustainability ambitions into real results? Download our practical checklist tailored for medium-sized publishers, packed with actionable steps that won’t stretch your resources. Subscribe for ongoing insights and success stories. Together, we can build a responsible, thriving publishing industry; one where operational excellence and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.