Scholastic Inc. announced today that all 12 million copies of the U.S. edition of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” will be printed on paper that contains a minimum of 30% post-consumer waste (pcw) fiber. Moreover, 65% of the 16,700 tons of paper used in the U.S. first printing will be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the global standard-setter for responsible forest management. This historic commitment is the largest purchase of FSC certified paper to be used in the printing of a single book title.
In addition, the company announced that the deluxe edition of the book (100,000 copies) will be printed on text paper that is FSC certified and contains 100% post-consumer waste fiber. All jackets will be FSC certified and contain 30% post consumer waste and will be manufactured using energy generated from wind power. For future printings of all books in the Harry Potter series, Scholastic plans to use paper with a minimum content of 30% pcw, and that is FSC certified when available.
The vast amount of paper needed to print 12 million copies of the 784-page “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” makes the decision by Scholastic to invest in environmentally preferable paper a significant step in the company’s ongoing commitment to responsible environmental stewardship.
Scholastic worked with the Rainforest Alliance, an international non- profit conservation organization, in making its decision to use FSC certified paper and is continuing development of an environmentally and socially responsible paper procurement policy. FSC certification means the paper comes from forestlands that are managed responsibly and have met a host of criteria covering biodiversity conservation, worker and land-use rights, and compliance with laws and international treaties, among other things.
“We applaud Scholastic’s progressive and bold commitment to support responsible forestry practices by buying FSC certified and recycled papers,” said Liza Murphy, senior marketing manager in the Rainforest Alliance’s sustainable forestry program. “We hope that all businesses follow this lead by using paper that comes from forests that are managed in a way that protects soils and waterways and benefits local communities.”
Lisa Holton, President of Scholastic Trade Publishing and Book Fairs, added, “Scholastic worked hard with our suppliers and the Rainforest Alliance to secure this extraordinary amount of recycled and FSC certified paper for ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.’ As a company with an ongoing commitment to protecting the environment for this generation and generations to come, we believe producing this book and our future reprints of Harry Potter books with a minimum of 30% pcw recycled paper is an important publishing decision.”
The seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling’s phenomenally successful series will be released at 12:01 a.m. on July 21, 2007. The fastest-selling book in history, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” J.K. Rowling’s sixth Harry Potter book, was released on June 16, 2005 with a first printing of 10.8 million. It sold 6.9 million copies in the first 24 hours. All six Harry Potter books, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” as well as “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” have been number one bestsellers in the United States, Britain, and around the world. The American editions of the Harry Potter books are published under Scholastic’s Arthur A. Levine imprint.
