Nick Hern Books is committed to publishing in the most environmentally sustainable way possible to us. We have considered and evaluated our working practices, the printing process and our partnerships to best achieve this goal.

Probably the most significant contribution we can make is in the sourcing of paper, board and packaging. Since early 2008, our books have been printed, wherever possible, on paper accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the leading international forest-management association. Books printed on FSC-certified paper feature a printer's chain-of-custody logo, informing the reader that the paper can be traced right back to the timber and the sustainable forest it comes from. For more information about the FSC, visit www.fsc.org.

We work with printers who also consider the environmental impact of their work very seriously. All printing happens in the UK, to reduce to a minimum the distance that books travel to our largely UK-based readers, and we are exploring printing copies for other territories in those locations to avoid the exporting of copies on consignment.

Many of our titles are printed by companies who offset the carbon emissions generated by their production processes, and/or whose electricity uses 100% renewable resources. Most of our books are printed digitally, rather than on less energy-efficient lithographic printing presses, with initial print runs that do not exceed sales expectations. The intention is that every single copy printed will be sold, rather than produced unnecessarily to gather dust in a warehouse or be pulped later on in its life.

We limit our own in-office printing, recycle all wastepaper, and generally hold external meetings on Zoom to reduce business travel. In our office, we use paper which is 100% recycled and recyclable, and recycled packaging with a zero-carbon footprint for customer orders.

We embrace digital publishing – ebooks, audiobooks and online platforms – and the opportunities offered by newer technologies. We aim to publish responsible books, and consider titles which can also play a part in addressing the greatest threat to our planet in human history, such as 100 Plays to Save the World by Elizabeth Freestone and Jeanie O'Hare, and plays including The Children by Lucy Kirkwood, The Contingency Plan by Steve Waters, F*ck the Polar Bears by Tanya Ronder, Heavy Weather by Lizzie Nunnery, Oil by Ella Hickson, A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction by Miranda Rose Hall and The Trials by Dawn King.

We will continue to monitor and consider new developments and industry best practice, contribute to new initiatives and collaborate with other publishers where possible, and work further to increase the sustainability of our publishing.