Innventia has been contracted by the UK Professional Publishers Association (PPA) to undertake further development work of their Magazine Carbon Calculator. In parallel to this, Innventia has also produced an online calculator for a group of UK book publishers and printers to quantify the carbon footprint of individual book titles. This tool was launched earlier this week. "Carbon footprinting is a challenge for every sector and an issue that trade associations need to address" says Innventia’s Michael Sturges.
The PPA carbon calculator, which won the 2009 TAF Best Environmental Initiative award, allows magazine publishers to calculate the carbon footprint of an individual magazine title, from cradle-to-grave. The tool was used by over 300 PPA members to. The work is a culmination of several years of environmental analysis by the magazine sector, building on earlier magazine sector mass balance and carbon footprint studies undertaken by Innventia on behalf of the PPA and its membership.
PPA is supporting the continued development of the web based calculator, with work ongoing to secure more detailed data and to extend the boundaries of the calculator to include other aspects of the magazine publishing business, such as digital publishing. A key aspect of this phase of the work will be transferring the tool from a stand-alone Excel model to an online platform. This will give greater flexibility, improve the data updating process and encourage even greater take-up of the tool.
In parallel to this, Innventia has also been contracted by a group of UK book publishers and printers to produce an online calculator to quantify the carbon footprint of individual book titles. After a period of beta-testing this tool was launched earlier this week.
"Initially, this work will focus on the production, printing of traditional printed books, distribution, consumption and waste management, but later phases of the work will investigate e-books and other electronic formats" says it-developer Chris Dominic at Innventia.
Michael Sturges, who managed both these carbon calculator projects, explains, "Carbon footprinting is a challenge for every sector. There are tough reduction targets to meet, at both an EU level and at a national, UK level. It is an issue that trade associations need to address. Providing their members with tools to understand the carbon footprint of their products, services and activities is a way to provide genuine benefit. Access to the calculators we have produced via their trade associations has saved member companies a great deal of cost and brought the ability to calculate carbon footprints to a wider audience."
"The main challenge in delivering a carbon calculator for trade association members is achieving a credible and comprehensive analysis but ensuring that the calculator is easy to use. The key is getting to understand what the members want and how they think, and then using this insight to balance detail against accessibility. In both these projects, comprehensive user testing and feedback suggests we have got this balance right."
Although there is a strong emphasis on carbon footprinting in the UK it is also highly relevant to other organisations and businesses working in Europe. Subsequently, Innventia has also helped organisations such as the European Paper Sack Group, producing a carbon calculator that allows the footprint of different paper sack designs to be calculated and compared.
