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Publishing and Literature

Key stakeholders and organizations in the publishing industry are committed to impactful climate action. The significant share of indirect emissions in the sector’s carbon footprint adds to the challenge of sustainability work. The industry’s impacts on nature also require attention.

Sofia Koistinen

Sustainable development has gained significant traction in the publishing industry in recent years, with concrete actions now being taken to reduce climate emissions and environmental harm. According to statistics, the publishing industry had a turnover of €2 billion in 2023 and employed nearly 10,000 people. This figure includes the publishing of newspapers, books, and other content. Literature accounted for approximately €500 million, with around 1,100 people employed in book publishing. The sector also indirectly provides employment in printing houses, logistics companies, and bookstores.

The environmental impact and sustainability status of the publishing industry were mapped as part of the Finnish Media Federation’s sustainability initiative in 2021. The report Environmental Impacts of the Media Industry and Measures Toward Carbon Neutrality, conducted by Gaia Consulting, helped the sector set goals and provided recommendations. In 2019, the carbon footprint of Finland’s media and graphic industry was approximately 473,000 tonnes of CO₂.

Roughly 10% of the sector’s emissions stem from direct operations, such as energy and fuel consumption. A staggering 90% of emissions come from indirect Scope 3 sources in the value chain, including materials and services. In publishing, paper, print production, transport, and storage contribute significantly to the environmental footprint.

The Finnish Media Federation has set a joint goal for member companies to achieve zero direct emissions by 2030 and to reduce indirect emissions by at least 30% compared to 2019. Member organizations include Aikakausmedia, Graafinen Teollisuus, Suomen Kustannusyhdistys, RadioMedia, and Uutismedian liitto.

Sustainability efforts in the publishing industry have largely focused on mitigating the climate crisis. With few exceptions, there are no established targets for reducing biodiversity loss, even though the use of natural resources constitutes a major share of the industry’s environmental burden. Some publishers use almost entirely FSC-certified printing materials, but accelerating the sustainability transition will require stronger measures. A commitment to using only FSC-certified print products should be considered a minimum requirement from the perspective of biodiversity protection.

The industry is also working to improve material efficiency, use recycled materials, and reduce harmful substances in inks and printed products. Adopting eco-labels like the Nordic Swan can help communicate environmentally responsible production to consumers. As digital services expand, attention must also be paid to the environmental performance of service providers, such as cloud platforms.

Digital Does Not Mean Emission-Free

Alongside the sustainability transition, the publishing industry is undergoing a major digital transformation, with content consumption increasingly shifting from printed to digital formats. Texts are also being consumed more frequently in audio form. This digital shift affects the media, literature, publishing, and library sectors, among others. However, immaterial content is not emission-free and must also be assessed from an ecological perspective.

The ReDime research project, funded by the Media Industry Research Foundation, explored perceptions and practices related to the environmental footprint of digital media among media industry professionals. The project produced a calculator simulating the carbon footprint of web articles and proposed six scenarios toward a more resource-wise digital media future. The Consumer Research Center at the University of Helsinki carried out the project: Roadmap Towards Resource-Wise Digital Media – the final report was completed in 2024.

Digitalization also presents challenges to social and economic sustainability, especially in the literary field. The Finnish Writers Union ran the project Literature in the Digital Transition (2023–2024), which aimed to define, together with key stakeholders, how new copyright legislation should protect authors—especially in terms of fair compensation—and to update industry-wide contract practices for the digital era. The final report was published in December 2024.

Publishers Are Taking Steps Toward Sustainability

According to a report by the Finnish Publishers Association, the industry’s total carbon footprint in 2023 was 12,386 tonnes of CO₂e—a 5% decrease from the previous year. This figure includes emissions from book and educational publishing, covering everything from production to logistics. Around 10% of emissions were from direct operations, while 90% were indirect emissions, mainly from materials and services.

The Finnish Publishers Association represents Finnish book and educational publishers and is part of the Media Federation. The association is committed to achieving carbon neutrality in direct operations by 2030 and reducing Scope 3 emissions by at least 30%.

Publishers are at varying stages in their sustainability work. Large publishing houses—such as Otava, WSOY, and Gummerus—cover roughly 70% of the market and have comprehensive responsibility strategies in place. There are also around a thousand smaller publishers in Finland. They can receive support from the Finnish Publishers Association, whose sustainability working group shares knowledge and offers practical guidance.

Most publishers have already taken steps to reduce their emissions, according to a 2022 baseline survey. Direct emissions stem from energy use and travel. Around 70% of publishers responsible for their own electricity or heating purchased at least one source carbon-neutrally. About half offer incentives for low-emission business travel, and slightly more than half have reduced air travel for climate reasons by at least 10%.

Indirect emissions are being tackled by developing low-carbon practices together with partners and incorporating environmental criteria into procurement decisions. These actions have primarily been taken by larger organizations. Among those with more than ten employees, nearly half have collaborated with supply chain partners on low-carbon practices, and just as many systematically monitor their environmental impact.

Over 80% of publishers include environmental criteria in procurement, and nearly all use at least some printing houses certified with the Nordic Swan or EU Ecolabel. According to the 2024 survey, 83% considered environmental impact when selecting a printing partner—and based on print volume, 99.9% of production was environmentally certified.

The association’s member surveys have produced valuable data on emissions and impacts, while also raising awareness and strengthening commitment to sustainability. These insights have helped identify key emission sources and challenges, as well as the most effective actions for progress. Publishers aim to develop more precise emissions tracking and create recommendations for climate-responsible practices to advance the sector’s sustainability.

The Power of Literature Lies in Its Content

The Finnish Writers Union has over 900 members, the Finnish Comics Professionals Association approximately 200 members, and the Finnish Association of Non-fiction Writers about 3,300 professionals. From the perspective of resource use and climate emissions, the creation of literature is often a minimalist process—except for, for example, travel related to writing or heavy use of artificial intelligence. In an era of multiple crises, those creating literature should consider the environmental impact of their work and aim to minimize it. However, the greatest potential for impact in the literary field lies in the content of the works themselves.

Addressing ecological themes in literature can significantly influence readers’ environmental awareness and support the normalization of sustainable lifestyles and practices in society. Literature can also offer solution-oriented perspectives on environmental problems, spark discussion, and inspire insights into the importance of maintaining ecological balance—as well as encourage action for the protection of nature and the climate.

Works of literature can deepen understanding and raise awareness of the current and future consequences of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. Literature can imagine ecologically sustainable utopias or dystopian futures, which at best may prompt readers to make more responsible choices, reduce consumption, or rethink their relationship with the living and non-living environment. Literature also plays a vital role in environmental education for children and young people.

The role of non-fiction and educational literature is to convey accurate and reliable information—including on the climate crisis, environmental issues, and sustainable lifestyles. Such works can provide a deep understanding of the progression of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, ecological processes, and their interdependencies. Non-fiction and textbooks reach a wide range of audiences across different age groups and life stages, which is crucial for increasing overall environmental awareness.