Springer Nature commits to become carbon neutral this year

Publisher Springer Nature has committed to becoming carbon neutral for its business operations and employee flights by the end of 2020. The ambition does not include the complex area of third-party printing and distribution.

Springer Nature said it was committed to addressing its own environmental impacts, as publisher of “some of the world’s most important research on climate science". After base-lining its carbon footprint in 2017, the company made an 18% reduction in net emissions in 2018 (to a total of 32,439 tons of CO² equivalent), and has continued the process on the same trajectory into 2020.

Springer Nature will now increase green electricity purchasing, currently at around 75%, to 100% and take local action at individual sites to reduce energy consumption. Harder-to-reduce emissions including business flights will be offset through “high-quality” schemes:

in 2019 the company purchased 7,000 tons of carbon offsets supporting forestry projects in Tanzania and Nicaragua and it expects to expand that further this year. Chief operating officer Martin Mos said business travel was an important part of staying close to the research and education communities Springer Nature works with. “However, we are continuing to invest in technologies that help us stay in touch virtually and encouraging colleagues to take the train as an alternative for some trips within Europe,” he said.

C.e.o. Frank Vrancken Peeters said: “We believe that, as publishers, we can play an integral role in addressing global challenges such as climate change, by sharing trusted evidence-based insights from some of the world’s leading climate scientists, and disseminating the results widely. As one of the world’s leading publishers of research related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we hold ourselves to high account which is why we began monitoring, managing and reporting on our carbon footprint within two years of the creation of Springer Nature. I am pleased to announce that we will become net carbon neutral in our own operations by the end of 2020 and pledge to continue to seek further reductions in our use of energy and other resources.”

A company-wide voluntary green office network of more than 100 people, in 19 locations, is working to achieve local level changes increasing efficiency and reducing energy use.

Bertelsmann recently announced its ambition to be "climate neutral" by 2030, including many measures at Penguin Random House.