Sustainability Spotlight at London Book Fair

A mix of panel sessions, keynotes, and report launches will focus on sustainability during the London Book Fair. The Sustainable Development Goals Publishers Compact will be signed at the London Book Fair, with over 200 signatories.

on Apr 05, 2022

The celebrations of the SDG Book Club and its branch book clubs in Africa and Brazil on Tuesday afternoon will focus on children's books.

The London Book Show will sign the SDG Publishers Compact on Wednesday afternoon, with all signatories present at the fair invited to gather together to celebrate the Compact reaching more than 200 signatures.

Following that, there will be three sessions, beginning with a lecture from Lancet editor Dr. Richard Horton and a fireside discussion with IPA President Bodour Al Qasimi.

Michiel Kolman, Chair of the IPA's Inclusive Publishing and Literacy Committee, will lead the audience through two sessions, beginning with a broad overview of what publishing may do before focusing on specific instances of what publishers are actually doing.

The IPA will kick off the day by releasing its newest InSPIRe study, which compiles the findings of a series of consultations, workshops, and a symposium with book industry stakeholders.

The IPA President, Bodour Al Qasimi, stated, "Sustainable publication cannot be done with simply discussion." Publishing on a global scale must set an example. This is why IPA-led sustainability debates are so exciting: we're promoting an industry agenda that goes beyond words.

Global publishing is beginning to define specific initiatives with the help of the IPA in order to play a more active role in the global sustainable development discourse. The International Sustainable Publishing and Industry Resilience (Inspire) Initiative, in particular, has brought together the whole value chain to establish sustainability standards, implement progress reporting, and promote multi-stakeholder action.

I'm happy that The London Book Fair is joining the SDG Publishers Compact, said Andy Ventris, Director of the London Book Fair. We are happy to support this important endeavour, and we look forward to collaborating with our colleagues in the book business to accelerate progress and accomplish the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

The Acting Head of UN Publications, Irina Lumelsky, said: "It's fantastic to see the SDG Publishers Compact reach 200 signatories." Each one not only increases awareness of the SDGs, but also changes its business practises to make them more sustainable. We hope that by joining and leading by example, additional publishers at the LBF will be inspired to join.