Corporate Social Responsibility
HBG Corporate Social Responsibility
Hachette Book Group, a leader in the publishing industry, believes strongly in the importance of engaging in sustainable business practices. We have created standards of operation and put policies in place to help ensure the long-term wellbeing of the natural world and its resources, the continued growth of a literate community, and the strength of our company. To that end, we are pleased to share the details of our environmental policy and our philanthropic efforts, which you may read below.
Our Environmental Policy:
Hachette Book Group’s environmental policy demonstrates our commitment to the environment, to the responsible use of natural resources, and to sustainable business practice. The company’s comprehensive environmental policy, launched in November 2009, includes progressive goals on recycled fiber use, greenhouse gas emissions, responsible paper sourcing, and a wide range of other initiatives.
Click here to read HBG’s Environmental Policy.
Click here to read the press release announcing HBG’s Environmental Policy.
2011 Progress Report
On November 30, 2009, Hachette Book Group launched a comprehensive environmental policy that centered on reducing the company's carbon footprint, increasing the use of recycled and certified fiber in our books, and protecting endangered forests by committing to avoid using paper sourced from those areas. Click here to read our progress report which details the results of two years of diligence and focus on making HBG a greener company.
And here are a few specifics about our progress not included in the update above:
- When we launched our policy in November 2009 we celebrated the formalization of our environmental program by making a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation to enable the planting of 10,000 trees. HBG's grant provided for reforestation efforts in the John Bethea State Forest in Northern Florida, where 80% of the forest had been devastated by wildfires.
- Our new secure print system and multi-functional devices (MFDs) default to double-sided printing and have yielded approximately 30% in paper savings. In New York energy usage is down 11% from last year and in our Boston office electricity usage is down 7% from last year.
- More efficient lighting has been installed in our warehouse, operated by motion sensors in a large section of our main facility. As a result we were awarded the “Energy Star” rating from the Environmental Protection Agency. HBG is only one of two facilities in the Warehouse category in the state of Indiana to have qualified for this rating in 2011 and one of only eighty in the country.
Our Philanthropic Programs:
Hachette Book Group supports organizations dedicated to promoting literacy and a love of books and reading. We are wholeheartedly devoted to fostering a robust publishing industry, while also attending to the serious issue of illiteracy in this country.
At HBG, we focus our philanthropic efforts primarily on the following areas:
Trade organizations, which keep the book business healthy and reading central to our lives.
Literacy organizations, which help teach an invaluable skill.
Author assistance groups, giving authors in need the support to practice their craft.
First Amendment rights groups, which help protect free speech and expression here and around the world.
HBG authors’ causes and those championed by HBG staff are very important to us – this can range from a local library’s fundraiser to an author’s favorite worthy organization.
Cultural organizations that help spread the word about books and reading.
Book Donations – we donate more than 100,000 copies annually, from a single signed copy for a fundraiser to large quantities for a struggling school district or library system.
All requests for financial and book donations are handled by HBG’s Communications department. If you feel that your organization or cause is in line with our goals of supporting literacy and a love of reading, please send all requests to donation.requests@hbgusa.com
Employee Matching Gift Program: HBG is also committed to supporting the charitable giving of our employees through our generous Matching Gift Program. HBG matches employees’ contributions to any non-profit organization – government certified as a 501(c)(3) – up to a limit of $1000 per employee, per year, at a ratio of 2:1. We know our employees believe passionately in a diversity of causes, and we’re proud to support their benevolence.
