2023-08-25 13:30:12
The literary season has just begun and, with it, its myriad of new titles. From mid-August until the end of October, 466 books will try to find a place in bookstores. This year, a little less prolific than the previous ones, has 5% less new products compared to 2022. The beginning of an awareness linked to the ecological impact of this sector?
The logic of overproduction, supposed to allow a scattering of editorial risks, is certainly responsible for this, as is the importance of print runs, publishers hoping for greater visibility of each work and a reduction in the manufacturing price per unit. However, with 536.8 million produced in 2022, supply is outstripping demand and the amount of shelling is concerning.
On average, between 2018 and 2020, 26,300 tonnes of books were pounded, according to the National Publishing Union (SNE). The equivalent of more than 80 million copies per year… So many books that will never be opened, never read and will generate their share of pollution, despite their systematic 100% recycling. The SNE wants to be reassured, indicating that the pestle rate on unsold items has been falling steadily since 2018.
Consumer pressure
If the leitmotif of all players in the sector is to succeed in producing at “just need”in practice, this will take a long time. Indeed, in spite of its efforts, publishing shows an abysmal delay in the simple daily information on the state of sales of each book, which prevents orders from being adjusted as well as possible.
Under pressure from consumers, the sector is becoming aware of the levers it can activate to minimize its environmental footprint. The most deleterious stage remains the manufacture of the paper. According to the International Office for Water, the manufacture of one kilogram of paper requires more than 500 liters of water. And it remains polluted long after being used.
“Suspended solids can pass through the filtration, such as cellulose fibers too short to be retained by the filters”, notes Paul-Antoine Lacour, general delegate of the professional paper organization Copacel. “But progress is constant and the legal thresholds are changing quickly”, he says. To limit its expenses, the paper industry operates more and more in a closed circuit, by reusing water. This has allowed it to reduce its consumption by 55% over the last thirty years and by more than 80% if we go back to the 1970s.
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