The Association of University Presses (AUPresses) became a signatory to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Publishers Compact in 2021. A “universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere,” the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been adopted by all member states. The Publishers Compact, developed by the International Publishers Association (IPA) launched in cooperation with the UN, is an opportunity for the global publishing community to contribute to these goals.
Because the SDGs reflect the Association’s core values, our commitment flows through much of the Association’s work and programming in support of these goals.
- SDG #5: Gender Equality—A gender pay parity analysis is now a core element of the AUPresses Compensation Survey.
- SDG #8: Decent Work and Economic Growth—In addition to supporting the 2023 C4DISC Workplace Equity Survey, the joint Task Force on Career Progression has been diligently working to create transparency around job descriptions, career skills, and professional development paths.
- SDG #13: Climate Action—The Association’s keystone effort to advance positive action on the climate is our Annual Meeting format plan that includes virtual meetings every other year, lessening the impact of global travel. For AUPresses 2024, we have sought to decrease materials usage by turning to an online-only program, asking attendees to BYOT (bring your own tote) rather than manufacturing new printed bags, and even down to a linen-less arrangement with hotel catering.
Over the rest of the UN Decade of Action (2020-2030) for the SDGs, the Association looks forward to joining with more of our members, partners, and friends to advance these and other goals for a more just, sustainable, and hopeful future for us all.
A growing list of international publishing houses, associations, and service providers have joined the call to work towards the SDGs. These include (as of Spring 2024) AUPresses members Bristol University Press, Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Edinburgh University Press, Liverpool University Press, Marine Corps University Press, the University of Ottawa Press, Oxford University Press, University of Toronto Press, Qatar University Press, and the University of the West Indies Press.
Examples of action these presses have taken as part of their SDG commitment include:
Bristol University Press, and Policy Press before it, were created to advance positive social change—in 2022-2023, more than 66% of its books were published with a focus on a specific UN goal. And the launch of Bristol University Press Digital, a proprietary content platform, allowed for a “tagging” exercise to assign books with these searchable SDGs. Importantly, BUP is committed to a goal of driving down emissions towards carbon net zero in 2024. In 2024, the press intends to publish its first SDG Publishers Compact status report to show the progress made against its compact commitments.
Liverpool University Press has worked with the university’s sustainability team to audit and benchmark waste and recycling from press office. Working in harmony with other scholarly presses, LUP co-founded EvenUP, a community of learners from among UK and Irish university presses committed to sharing best practice in EJIB. The press has also acquired an earth and climate sciences publisher, with the intention of growing a significant presence in scholarly debates about the use of the earth’s natural resources and environmental change.
Marine Corps University Press has chosen to focus on SDGs related to Quality education; Gender equality; Reduced inequalities; Responsible consumption and production; and Peace, justice, and strong institutions. MCUP’s status as a fully open access publisher helps advance all of these goals through their publishing program. The press also looks for partners within and outside the university to work on collaborative action towards the SDGs.
Oxford University Press has established an SDG Steering Committee that includes representatives from all relevant parts of the organization, including product, marketing, communications, supplier engagement, sustainability, HR, ethics, and compliance, chaired by the Director of Sustainability. OUP participates in publishing industry groups such as the Book Chain Project and Publishers Association Sustainability Taskforce, which supports activity on specific SDGs (generally with an environmental focus).