Collaborative Sustainability: Canon’s Award-Winning Project and PublishDrive’s Role

The publishing industry is evolving rapidly, with sustainability becoming an increasingly vital focus. A shining example of this shift is Canon’s collaborative project, spearheaded by Jörg Engelstädter, which recently won the prestigious IPA Innovation Award in Publishing.  This remarkable initiative brought together industry leaders, including PublishDrive, to create actionable solutions for reducing the environmental impact of the print-on-demand (POD) industry and making it more sustainable. 

This blog explores the journey of this project, including contributions from PublishDrive’s CEO, Kinga Jentetics, and Head of Content Operations, Dóra Nagyné-Gebei. It also delves into the significance of initiatives like Canon’s Future Book Forum, the partners involved, and the lasting impact of the project.

What is the Future Book Forum?

The Future Book Forum, organized annually by Canon and Jörg Engelstädter’s brainchild, is a global gathering that brings together thought leaders, publishers, and technology experts to discuss the future of publishing. It serves as a platform to explore innovation, emerging trends, and challenges in the industry.

The Forum emphasizes collaboration and dialogue, encouraging participants to share insights and strategies that can shape the future. In recent years, sustainability has emerged as a key focus, making it the perfect environment to launch groundbreaking initiatives like this award-winning project.

For Kinga Jentetics, attending the Future Book Forum in Munich proved to be a transformative experience. It not only introduced her to the sustainability-focused project but also deepened her understanding of the environmental challenges facing the publishing industry. This inspiration drove PublishDrive to contribute its expertise to the initiative.

The Collaborative Project and Its Participants

Canon’s sustainability project brought together a diverse group of contributors from across the publishing value chain. Here’s a closer look at the organizations involved and their roles in the initiative:

Canon

As the project leader, Canon brought its expertise in imaging and printing technology to the table. With a strong commitment to sustainability, Canon leveraged its resources to explore eco-friendly printing methods, efficient production processes, and innovative solutions for minimizing waste.

PublishDrive

PublishDrive, a global leader in digital publishing, contributed insights from its experience of publishing over 200,000 books that sold in 180 countries. Our role focused on providing data-driven strategies to optimize print-on-demand workflows and reduce carbon footprints while maintaining high-quality publishing standards.

Some Other Key Participants

• Elsevier: A leading academic publisher specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content. Elsevier offers journals, books, and digital platforms, including Scopus and ScienceDirect, to support research and innovation. The company is part of RELX Group and operates globally, with a strong focus on advancing knowledge in the academic and professional sectors.

• Hachette: A major global publishing group headquartered in France. It is part of Lagardère Publishing and is known for publishing books across various genres, including fiction, non-fiction, educational materials, and children’s literature. Hachette operates under multiple imprints and subsidiaries worldwide, including in the U.S. and U.K.

• Une Books: This company specializes in providing comprehensive services for academic publishing, including hosting and distribution of digital books for educational institutions and independent publishers.

• LiberExpress: A platform designed for print-on-demand (POD) and distribution services, catering primarily to publishers and authors seeking flexible and fast book production.

• Cloudprinter: A cloud-based print-on-demand service that connects global print networks with businesses, enabling on-demand printing and shipping of books, marketing materials, and other products. It is focused on sustainability and reducing waste by producing items close to the end-user.

• Editeur: A professional organization supporting the book and e-book publishing industry with standardized tools, including metadata standards, to enhance discoverability and market efficiency.

• Planeta: Grupo Planeta is a major Spanish-language publishing and media company, offering books, magazines, and educational services. Based in Spain, it operates across Europe and Latin America, with a strong emphasis on literary and educational publishing.

Workshop at the London Book Fair in 2023 

PublishDrive’s Role and Contributions

At PublishDrive, we pride ourselves on staying at the forefront of innovation. Our participation in this project reflects our commitment to building a more sustainable future for the publishing industry.

Kinga Jentetics’ Leadership

Kinga’s involvement began after her inspiring experience at the Future Book Forum, where she connected with Jörg Engelstädter and other collaborators. Recognizing the value of collective action, she shared PublishDrive’s unique perspective, rooted in the challenges and opportunities of managing a global publishing portfolio.

Using her entrepreneurial expertise, Kinga highlighted strategies for streamlining production, reducing emissions, and adopting data-driven decision-making. 

Dóra Nagyné-Gebei’s Operational Expertise

Dóra joined the project during its later stages, bringing her deep knowledge of content operations and vendor management. She participated in key online discussions and attended offline meetings at major industry events like the London Book Fair and Frankfurt Book Fair.

Dóra’s focus was on optimizing the operational aspects of sustainability. Her expertise ensured that the project’s recommendations could be seamlessly integrated into existing workflows, making them accessible to publishers of all sizes.

Why Collaborative Projects Like This Matter

Collaboration is the cornerstone of innovation, particularly in industries facing complex challenges like sustainability. Here’s why initiatives like this are so impactful:

1. Diverse Expertise Leads to Better Solutions
   The publishing industry is incredibly diverse, encompassing printing, materials sourcing, digital tools, and more. Collaborative projects bring together specialists from every niche, ensuring that solutions are comprehensive and practical.
2. Accelerating Industry-Wide Change
   No single company can solve sustainability challenges alone. By working together, organizations can share resources, align goals, and drive the widespread adoption of sustainable practices more effectively.
3. Networking and Partnerships
   Beyond the professional outcomes, collaborative projects foster valuable connections. For PublishDrive, this initiative was an opportunity to meet like-minded professionals, explore partnerships, and gain new insights that will shape our future work.
4. Driving Innovation
   Projects like this push participants to think creatively, challenge norms, and explore innovative technologies. The result is not just a greener industry but also a more resilient and adaptive one.

Left to right: Arantxa Mellado - CEO of LiberExpress, Jörg Engelstädter - Founder, Thought Leader and Manager of The Future Book Forum at Canon EMEA, Dóra Nagyné Gebei - Head of Content Operations at PublshDrive 

The White Paper: A Roadmap for Sustainability

The Publishing Accelerator 2030 White Paper focuses on advancing sustainability in the publishing industry by addressing environmental challenges and improving supply chain efficiency. It highlights the potential of a Distributed Book Printing Network to transform the industry’s environmental and operational footprint.

Key Highlights:

• Industry Context:
  • Despite digital advancements, printed books maintain steady demand. However, the traditional book production and distribution model is criticized for its environmental impact, including excessive emissions, overproduction, and waste.
• Distributed Book Printing Network:
  • This model promotes decentralized, on-demand book production closer to consumers, reducing long-distance shipping, emissions, and warehousing needs.
  • Key features include secure digital file transfers, localized printing facilities, and collaborative middleware platforms to connect publishers and printers globally.
• Workstreams:
  • Workstream One: Develops methodologies for calculating and communicating a book’s carbon footprint.
  • Workstream Two (main focus of this paper): Explores implementing a global distributed printing system to reduce environmental impact and improve market agility.
  • Workstream Three: Reevaluate cost and emission metrics to prioritize lifecycle efficiency over per-unit costs.
• Benefits:
  • Reduces carbon emissions and inventory waste.
  • Enhances flexibility, scalability, and global reach for publishers.
  • Supports sustainability with local production and reduced overstock risks.
• Challenges:
  • Integration of global standards and middleware.
  • Reliable partnerships with local print providers.
  • Addressing administrative and logistical complexities.
• Future Steps:
  • Test middleware technologies and conduct surveys with stakeholders.
  • Developing standards for network participation.
  • Engaging in industry-wide discussions to refine and scale the concept.

The initiative aligns with global sustainability efforts, including the UN’s climate goals, and emphasizes collaboration across publishers, technology providers, and service networks to achieve systemic change.

A Proud Moment for PublishDrive

At PublishDrive, we are honored to have played a part in this award-winning initiative. This experience has reinforced our belief in the power of collaboration and the importance of sustainability.

The relationships we built, the ideas we shared, and the knowledge we gained will continue to influence our work as we strive to make publishing more sustainable and accessible.