As the expression “cultural good” indicates, the book is a product, that is to say, a good that is bought and sold. However, its specificities mean that it evolves in a particular environment studied in particular by Louis Wiart and Philippe Chantepie, the authors of Économie du livre , published by La Découverte (collection “Repères”). We publish an extract devoted to one of the major challenges of the sector for the coming years: the adaptation of its economic model to the imperatives of the ecological transition. Digital or paper, will the book find a way to be compatible with these new necessities?

Like all cultural industries, the book sector faces the challenge of ecological transition, in its three aspects: climate, biodiversity, and waste. This represents a major challenge for the entire book value chain: production cycle (paper, therefore energy, water, plant species, ink formulation), distribution (transport), and consumption (waste). It thus concerns all stages of the activity, from eco-design to reuse and recycling.

The challenge has begun to be taken into account internationally by the publishing sector regarding production and consumption patterns, which are among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda in 2019. This challenge also concerns digital publishing and reading, which are growing and appear less favorable for the environment than the traditional paper production and consumption method.

In France, the implementation of these sustainable development goals is based on the so-called extended producer responsibility (EPR) rule. It takes into account the producer’s responsibility for each industry, from start to finish, through each link in the supply chain, right up to the consumer. According to the polluter-pays principle, the aim is to make producers responsible for the environmental impact of their products by individually or collectively ensuring the collection, management, and recovery of waste from these products (paper, inks).

EPR channels have been established for glass, plastic, electronics, etc. Packaging paper has been in place since 1993 and graphic paper has already been covered by the press sector since 2007. The book publishing sector is not covered by this extended producer responsibility approach, as paper books are not considered likely to become household waste.

[ Since the submission of the manuscript of this book, a sectoral ecological transition plan for publishing has been made public. (Clarification from the authors of the work, editor’s note) ]

Since the 2010s, there has been a gradual awareness of the challenges of ecological transition among book professionals, including publishers . This fragmented and partial approach depends mainly on initiatives from links in the chain through voluntary commitments. Initiatives, initially individual or collective, prevail over certain aspects of the activity that aim to promote more environmentally friendly models of book production and marketing.

Little recycled paper

Thus, on the upstream side, the pressure on the availability and price of raw materials (paper, energy, water and transport) is highlighted, even if new sensitivities to ecology are being expressed . Better paper purchasing practices are progressing: 97% of the paper purchased by publishers is certified by labels (PEFC, FSC) relating to sustainable forest management, while recycled paper represents only 1% of the total .

Paper production for book publishing is not taken into account by the REP graphic papers, which constitutes a particularly critical segment in terms of energy and water consumption, but especially in terms of transport. Indeed, paper production comes mainly from foreign countries, France having a very negative external balance. Downstream, on the bookstore side, we are focusing on the layout of sales areas (lighting, heating, insulation, furniture recovery, etc.), the optimization of book purchases to reduce returns or the use of lower-impact products (gift wrapping, paper bags, etc.)].

Finally, on the library side, under the impetus of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), a collective approach is also prevailing, as evidenced, for example, by the 2030 Agenda for Libraries in France. The objectives pursued are to pool resources between institutions and improve logistics to reduce the environmental footprint of book loans. The issue of laminating books offered for loan is also raised. In the future, these initiatives are expected to take into account other factors, such as the transportation of consumers and employees.

An economic model to question

The challenge of the ecological transition of publishing is mainly concentrated on the most industrial elements of the sector, which is illustrated by the share of printing production outside France (Spain, Eastern European countries, even China) . In the production and marketing segment, the challenge of the ecological transition affects the heart of the structural economic model of book publishing. Indeed, the publishing industry is based on a logic of supply structurally superior to sales, if only to reach audiences who, in a situation of underproduction and insufficient distribution, would be neither informed of the existence of the offer nor able to see it proposed to them.

The economies of scale resulting from printing do not constitute a barrier to this model. Also, the entire distribution chain (storage and transport to and from points of sale) is sustainable. This is reflected in the volumes distributed as well as in those of returns, as well as in the pulping rates . Artificial intelligence (AI) tools could also improve the management of production, stocks and transport, but their own environmental impact is not neutral.

The ecological transition may seem like one of the most difficult challenges for the publishing sector to overcome. The publishing sector has demonstrated a great capacity for innovation and adaptation to technology, but its core economic model has remained unchanged. The ecological challenge, on the other hand, calls into question the very foundations of its economic model.

Author Bio: Louis Wiart is Chair of Communication at the Free University of Brussels (ULB)