Seven commitments

A responsible and sustainable approach

Last year, we set out seven challenging aspirations and targets to help focus the business on achieving our responsible business vision while minimising our environmental impact. We believe this is a responsible and sustainable approach.

  1. 1 To maintain our commitment to climate neutrality in 2013.
    Last year marked our third year of climate neutrality
  2. 2 To be ever more efficient in how we use paper as the most significant natural resource for us
  3. 3 To use FSC papers where we can and our own grading system
  4. 4 To make sustained investment in new content
  5. 5 To maintain our total community investment at 1% or more of operating profit
  6. 6 Using 2010 as our base, to expand our book gifting activities
  7. 7 Growing take-up of digital-based reading

Environmental challenge: Climate change

Our Commitment How We Measure Progress
1 To maintain our commitment to climate neutrality in 2013. Last year marked our third year of climate neutrality Through carbon reduction; purchase of renewable energy; renewable energy generation at our sites and the purchase of carbon offsets
Electricity from renewable sources Mwh, 12 - 2185800 Mwh*, 11 - 166900 Mwh, 10 - 170700, 09 - 170229 Mwh, 08 - 3255 Mwh. Climate change data is published in April. *100% from renewable sources up from 84% in 2011

Environmental challenge: Avoiding global deforestation

Our Commitment How We Measure Progress
2 To be ever more efficient in how we use paper as the most significant natural resource for us We track the total metric tonnes of paper we use and how that compares to revenue

The paper used per £1m of non-digital revenue increased in 2012 reflecting a shift to digital services
Total paper used Metric tonnes. 12 - 287500 MT, 11 - 319500 MT, 10 - 338000 MT, 09 - 339000 MT, 08 - 360000 MT

Environmental challenge: Avoiding global deforestation

Our Commitment How We Measure Progress
3 To use FSC papers where we can and our own grading system We track and report the FSC volume we purchase and the grading system we use to meet our requirement to purchase from known, responsible sources
Paper by source %. 12 - 11% 79% 10%, 11 - 7% 83% 10%. Ungraded/unwanted, Graded, FSC

Social challenge: Investing in content

Our Commitment How We Measure Progress
4 To make sustained investment in new content Pre-publication expenditure and authors' advances
Investing in content $m. 12 - $835m, 11 - $794m, 10 - $816m, 09 - $794m, 08 - $775m.

Social challenge: Access to learning, literacy and great teaching

Our Commitment How We Measure Progress
5 To maintain our total community investment at 1% or more of operating profit One way we extend our reach is through partnerships with literacy and learning charities. We report on our community investment spend
Community investment spend £m. 12 - 1.2% £11.4m, 11 - 1.2% £11.5m, 10 - 1.6% £13.1m, 09 - 1.4% £10.5m, 08 - 1.1% £7.7m

Social challenge: Literacy

Our Commitment How We Measure Progress
6 Using 2010 as our base, to expand our book gifting activities Number of books donated to schools, libraries and literacy charities
Number of books donated Millions. 12 - 2.10m, 11 - 1.99m, 10 - 1.66m, 09 - 1.71m, 08 - 1.74m.

Social challenge: Literacy

Our Commitment How We Measure Progress
7 Growing take up of digital based reading Unlike traditional print programmes, we can track the number of users of our digital reading programmes
Reading programmes Users million. 12 - 4.45m, 11 - 3.75m.