A Pursuit Towards Sustainable Publishing

We know we have our work cut out for us as we start carving a name for ourselves within the world of publishing, but we are also aiming to rethink how a children's book publisher can advocate more towards environmental stewardship. And for us, that means setting our sights on sustainable book publishing—specifically, regenerative publishing.

So, what is regenerative publishing?

While it is an infrequently used industry term, at its core, regenerative publishing is about creating systems and processes that restore, renew, and revitalize their sources of energy and materials. It goes beyond sustainability by adopting practices that repair environmental damage and that positively impacts the world.

Like we said, we're focused on big things.

Regenerative publishing represents a bold step in how publishers can operate ethically and responsibly.

So, how will we do this?

There are many ways to embark on this journey, and we're working towards two key milestones: supporting reforestation efforts and moving towards sustainably sourced materials for our books. To address the former, we will be working with One Tree Planted to ensure that for every book sold, we will be planting a tree! For the latter, we will focus on ensuring that all of our books will be printed with an FSC certification to mark that sustainable materials were sourced for the book's development.

So, why are we doing this?

The short answer: it's the right thing to do.

It also doesn't make sense to build a company that advocates for children to learn about taking care of the Earth if we can't lead by example. Additionally, we are well aware that our products are paper-based and that trees are needed to produce our products, but instead of adding to the problem of deforestation, we are trying to add to the solution.

And deforestation is a BIG problem. According to the WWF:

"The leading cause of deforestation is agriculture, with poorly planned infrastructure another significant contributor to global deforestation. In 2022, the world lost more than 16 million acres of forest—an area bigger than West Virginia—according to the 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment. The primary causes of forest degradation are logging activities, livestock grazing, and the construction of roads."

And the impacts are wide-reaching, including everything from losses of biodiversity, increased greenhouse gas emissions, to the disruption of water cycles, soil erosion, and so on. So, it's imperative that we all try to do something to ensure that the world of tomorrow—the world our children will inherit—is not beyond repair.

So, what does this all mean?

If an average 45-foot tall pine tree can produce roughly 10,000 sheets of paper (approximately 300 of our books), then by planting one tree for every book sold, we will make massive headway towards a net-positive environmental impact. And we're not alone! Adventure Journal is another publisher (and one of the first in North America) to take this position towards regenerative publishing.

Small changes can lead to significant impacts, especially when we come together as a community of readers, writers, environmental advocates—and publishers. And while we're excited to state that we are one of the few children's publishers (if any) striving for this goal, we hope that others join the team—and soon!

We know the road ahead will be long and arduous, but it’s one that we’re proud to be taking.