The Environmental Impact of Books: From Page to Planet (Online event)

creating a culture of climate action

Books inspire ideas, imagination, and change, but they also have an environmental footprint. From paper sourcing and printing to distribution, consumption, and disposal, every stage of a book’s life cycle has climate impacts.

This virtual panel, hosted by JB, brings together voices from across the book ecosystem to explore how the sector is responding, what initiatives already exist, and where meaningful change can happen next. The conversation will highlight practical, realistic actions that authors, publishers, and libraries can take to reduce their environmental impact and embed sustainability into everyday decision-making.

Whether you create, distribute, care for, or simply love books, this session invites you to be part of a more climate-conscious future for publishing.

Date and time: Thursday 23 April, 14:00 -15:30 (online)

Speakers

Piers Torday (Author)

Piers Torday’s Last Wild series of children’s books examines themes of biodiversity loss, including The Wild Before, a showcase attempt at publishing a sustainable book. His plays, The Box of Delights (RSC) and The Wind in the Wilton’s (Wilton’s Music Hall) were produced to the sustainable standards in the Theatre Green Book. He has been a judge for the Sustainable Story Award and is also the first Chair of the UK Society of Authors Sustainability Network Steering Committee.

Piers will explore the role authors can play in climate action, from content choices and contractual advocacy to using their public platforms to influence change. He will also reflect on current sustainability conversations within the authors’ community.

Sustainability Lead (Major Publishing House)
We’ll be joined by a sustainability lead from a major publishing house. Speaker details will be announced soon. They will share insights into the publishing supply chain, including paper sourcing, printing, and distribution; and discuss how publishers are addressing corporate environmental responsibility.

Maja Maricevic (Director of Science and Innovation, British Library)

Dr Maja Maricevic is Director of Science and Innovation at the British Library. She is a founding member and former Chair of the UK Green Libraries Campaign and was awarded CILIP’s Presidential Citation in 2025 for her contribution to expanding the campaign’s reach. She has also served on the Advisory Group for the UKRI programme Building a Greener Future and currently chairs London’s Knowledge Quarter.

Maja will speak about green library initiatives and sector-wide efforts connected to CILIP, focusing on consumption patterns, extending book lifespans, and responsible end-of-life management (donation, weeding, and recycling).