Hachette Livre publishes its 2023 CSR report

Hachette Livre is at the forefront of environmental issues in publishing and fully committed to tackling social and societal challenges. The Group has just released its new CSR report, which looks back at 2023 and presents the outlook for 2024.

The year 2023 was a productive period for partnerships and initiatives in all three scopes – social, societal and environmental responsibilities – made possible by the steadfast dedication of Hachette Livre’s 7,601 employees worldwide.

1- Hachette Livre has embarked on an ambitious path to reducing its carbon footprint.

The 30/30 Strategy launched in 2022 aims to achieve a 30% reduction in Group emissions by 2030. As part of that plan, the Group has set measurable targets for its main sources of emissions:

• Reducing overproduction and decreasing shredded books by 30%
• Reducing the carbon intensity of paper manufacturing by 26% and of printing and binding by 18%
• Reducing emissions from incoming freight by 1% and outgoing freight by 1.5%

The Group is rolling out a plan for a 25% reduction by 2030 of the volume of plastic used (in relation to 2019) through the eco-design of products: less shrink film on books, plastic holders in some box sets replaced with cardboard, and less bundling film.

Logistics activities are also concerned, with the reduction in the thickness of plastic film used in machine and manual palletizing, the reduction in thickness and integration of recycled plastic in heat-shrink film, the elimination of the use of PVC adhesive tape in warehouses, and the implementation of a progress plan for the sorting of logistics waste.

Hachette Livre has made end-of-life and a circular approach to products a major priority of its environmental strategy.The Group uses innovative technologies like printing on demand with Lightning Source and automated restocking with its RITMEO program to limit unsold books. Alongside that strategy, the Group has pared down the number of titles published each year worldwide, from 17,000 in 2019 to 15,000 in 2023.

In addition, in 2023, Hachette Livre maintained its sourcing rate of recycled or FSC® or PEFC certified paper at 99%.

2- Hachette Livre is implementing an ambitious social policy to promote diversity and inclusion

In France, Hachette Livre earned a 95/100 on the Gender Equality Index in 2023. The Group’s score recognizes the collective effort made to implement initiatives that promote responsible practices and a culture of gender equality in workplace. That culture can be seen on the Executive Committee France – since 2023, 7 of 12 members have been women.

Hachette Livre also fosters employees’ personal growth and inclusion through initiatives to raise awareness and improve quality of life at work, along with the Mission Handicap Hachette Livre program.

The Group is also committed to promoting diversity through its recruitment channels and by raising employee awareness of these issues. Internationally, Hachette UK and Hachette Book Group have been pioneers in the promotion of diversity and the fight against discrimination for many years, with numerous initiatives underway.

3- Thanks to its committed publishers and brands, Hachette Livre embraces its societal role in education, culture and democracy by ensuring access to its content for all. 

Hachette Livre is using digital technology to make its books accessible to people who have difficulty reading.  In 2023, 99% of written works published were accessible to level 1¹and 84% to level 2².

In 2023, Fondation Hachette pour la lecture issued its second call for projects to encourage reading, writing and promotion of the French language among a wide array of audiences. The 13 non-profits selected received grants ranging from €15,000 to €50,000 to expand the reach and influence of their respective initiatives.

A closer look at the partnership with Libraries Without Borders:

The Group also encourages its employees to lend their support to causes they care about through various initiatives. In 2023, Hachette Livre established an alliance with Libraries Without Borders comprising three components: financial backing, donations in kind, and work by Hachette Livre employees to support the non-profit’s initiatives.

As part of the partnership, Hachette Livre employees have had the chance to support the non-profit in its mission through three key initiatives: the Design Jam, skills mentoring, and solidarity days.

“As an environmental pioneer in the publishing sector since 2009, Hachette Livre has made CSR a core part of its business plan and a major strategic priority involving all its stakeholders.  We’re proud to be able, through our actions, to embody our values – diversity, independence and responsibility – across our entire CSR value chain to benefit the greater good.”
Gaëtan Ruffault, Senior Vice President for Human Resources and CSR at Hachette Livre.

¹ This level denotes books made available in the accessible ePub 3 format.
² This level of accessibility designed in-house at Hachette Livre is reserved for content approved as compliant by the Accessibility Checker for ePubs (ACE) tool.

Hachette Livre is a subsidiary of Lagardère SA and the world’s third-largest  mainstream publishing group (trade and educational). With revenue of €2,809 million in 2023, it is the market leader in France, number two in the UK, third in   Spain and fourth in the US (in trade publishing). The Group comprises over 200 imprints which together publish around 15,000 new titles each year in a dozen languages (mainly French, English and Spanish). It covers all segments of the mainstream publishing market: general fiction, nonfiction, paperbacks, children’s and YA books, illustrated books, travel guides, textbooks, study guides and partworks.
https://www.hachette.com/