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DK launch is totally green

15.02.08 Benedicte Page

Dorling Kindersley is raising the stakes in ethical and environmental publishing with a new range of illustrated books, Made with Care.

Titles in the series aim to represent publishing best practice on a wide range of green and ethical standards. The books will have no jackets, instead featuring unbleached board covers that are 100% recycled.

They will be printed on FSC-certified paper, use vegetable inks and environmentally friendly glues, and be bound using energy-saving "in-line binding". Printing will be by Mohn Media in Germany, which DK describes as "one of the country's pioneers of environmental awareness". The German location will minimise distribution distances.

Sell-in of the titles has been done without proofs or printed materials, in a move "unique for illustrated publishing", said DK. Instead, the books have been sold in through the DK website, and by way of a CD sent out with recycled card. Marketing will be primarily electronic direct marketing, with any printed material FSC certified or recycled.

The initiative will launch with four titles in April, with further books expected next year. There are two adult titles: Grow Organic, a gardening book produced in association with Garden Organic (£17.99), and Green Babycare by Susannah Marriott (£12.99).

The remaining two are for children: Earth Matters, an encyclopedia of the environment by David de Rothschild (£17.99), and Make It! by Jane Bull (£7.99), which shows children how to turn old rubbish into something creative. Each book will carry a panel on the back clearly stating its environmental and ethical credentials.

Catherine Bell, DK marketing director, said: "These are the greenest, most ethical books we could make. Research shows that the consumer puts green, ethical and fair trade issues in the same box, and there is a growing group which is ‘conveniently conscious', who will make changes to their lifestyles if they are relatively easy. We've taken our time and gone through the processes step-by-step to pick up all the loopholes. We don't want to be seen as greenwashing."

Retailers have been enthusiastic, she added. There is also interest from the National Trust, whole food and other specialist retailers, and green catalogue companies. A PR campaign handled by Maria Boyle will aim to stir up debate and discussion, liaising with the big environmental and ethical pressure groups and charities.

The Made with Care initiative is the pilot scheme of a broad push towards green and ethical standards at DK. By the end of this year, the publisher will be using purely PREPS Grade 3 paper (a traceable grade), and will require that all its printers meet the ISO 14001 waste management standards and are FSC chain of custody approved. They must also be ICTI approved, the certification which guarantees that no child labour is used. 

Benedicte Page Books Dorling Kindersley

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