Melbourne Indie Publishers to Go Green

Last week we asked Why Not “Clean Green Print” Your Next Print Run? Well, this week Melbourne independent publishers, Aduki Independent Press and Vignette Press have announced they will stick to a new set of “ethical publishing guidelines”.

The guidelines promote environmentally-friendly practices such as use of recycled stock and vegetable-based inks, avoiding waste, choosing energy-efficient resources, and promoting a ‘no-pulping policy’.

Aduki’s Emily Clark and Vignette’s Lisa Dempster believe that independent publishers will lead the charge towards changing the attitudes and practices of publishers in Australia.

Some thoughts behind the new guidelines

Lisa:

“We want to show that if we, as small presses, can afford to adopt these policies, there’s no reasons why bigger companies can’t.

“Publishing is a resource-intensive operation, so it’s important for the people involved to take responsibility for the impact their business has on the environment.”

Emily:

“There is a belief that using recycled papers is really expensive, but that’s just not the case anymore. Using recycled paper is price-competitive with using normal stock, and there are lots of quality printers that promote energy-efficient printing.”

The guidelines were written in the interests of conducting fair and reputable businesses, and Emily and Lisa hope that other publishers will join them in recognising that change is needed within the industry.

The ethical publishing guidelines go further than concerns for the environment, as they also deal with the importance of promoting the principles of diversity and free speech, fostering Australian talent, and supporting the local publishing industry.