Green Book Alliance Launches Free Carbon Calculator for Publishers to Measure Book Emissions

The Green Book Alliance, a group made up of BISG, BookNet Canada, and the UK's Book Industry Communication, has released a free web-based carbon calculator for the book publishing industry. The tool, called the GBA Book Carbon Calculator, lets publishers measure the carbon footprint of individual books using standard greenhouse gas metrics like kilograms of CO2 equivalent. It is designed for production, manufacturing, and operations staff, but editors and publishers can also use it during planning to compare the environmental impact of different production choices. The calculator was developed over six months with support from New Society Publishers, ECW Press, Gibbs Smith, Publishing Scotland, and printer Friesens. The tool does not use a rating system or require a subscription. Instead, it reports actual emissions data to help companies establish baselines, track sustainability progress, and make more informed production decisions. The Green Book Alliance will host a live demo webinar on June 30 to walk users through the tool.