Is this the most sustainable book of its kind?

Posted by Will Green 04/11/2014

Arjowiggins Graphic, the leader in the development of environmental paper solutions, in collaboration with Pureprint Group, the award-winning print and marketing solutions provider, have joined forces to print renowned sustainability author Jonathon Porritt’s new book The World We Made; Alex McKay’s Story from 2050.

The first edition of the book is written from the future in 2050, looking back to today. It tells the optimistic story of how humans, through a renewed sense of purpose, placed an imperative on sustainability to make a better world for all those who come after us.

Commenting on the book, author Jonathon Porritt said:

“Learning to live sustainably on this planet is not an optional extra: it’s a pressing imperative. And the stakes really couldn’t be higher. A brilliant, fairer and genuinely sustainable world is still available to all of us by 2050 – if we start making it happen right now. So it was particularly important for me to leave no sustainable stone uncovered when producing, creating and manufacturing this book. Working with Arjowiggins Graphic and Pureprint Group has made it possible to meet almost all of our ambitions in that regard.”

The highly sought after book was printed on 100 percent recycled, FSCâ recycled certified paper leaving a carbon footprint of just 1.8kg CO2 emissions per book, compared to 4kg of CO2 emissions for an average book.

The World We Made was printed on a combination of high quality 100 percent recycled papers  – Cocoon Offset, Cocoon Silk, Cyclus Offset and Cyclus Print. By printing the book on these types of recycled papers the environmental impact was reduced by 17,120kg of landfill, 371,887 litres of water, 35,013kWh of electricity, 3,105kg of CO2 and greenhouse gases, and 27,817kg of wood, according to Arjowiggins Graphic’s free Environmental Benefit Statement (EBS), which shows savings made by using recycled papers compared to using virgin fibre papers.

The World We Made was printed by Pureprint Group, the World’s first Carbon Neutral® printer. For the printing process, the company used only inks that were made from vegetable-based oils not mineral oils, and no isopropyl alcohol was applied to reduce ground-level ozone.

Angela De Vorchik, Operational Marketing Manager, Arjowiggins Graphic said:

“It was important for the author of this book to reflect the highest sustainability standards.  A simple way of incorporating sustainable practices into the fabric of the book was to choose recycled papers.  The average CO2 emissions for a book is around 4kg of CO2, so we’re proud to have created a book that produces less than half than this amount.”

“Not only does this reduce the company’s carbon emissions and divert waste paper from landfill, but it also provides a really simple way to communicate its commitment to the environment.”

Richard Owers, Marketing Director, Pureprint Group commented:

“Sustainability lies at the heart of our business so it was an honour to print The World We Made –which we find a dynamic and aspirational story with a view to encouraging people to think very differently about sustainability.”

The World We Made, a book published by Phaidon Press and launched last week, describes the key events, technological breakthroughs and lifestyle revolutions that will transform our planet over the next half century. Sustainable development guru Jonathon Porritt tells the story through the words of Alex McKay, a fifty-year-old teacher looking back from 2050, who explains how we got our world back from the brink of collapse.

All royalties of the book will go to support the work of Forum for the Future, one of the world’s leading sustainable development charities which works globally with businesses and others to transform the systems critical to daily life, like food and energy.