This Compact is designed to inspire action among publishers. Launched in collaboration with the International Publishers Association, the Compact aims to accelerate progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Signatories aspire to develop sustainable practices and act as champions of the SDGs during the Decade of Action (2020-2030), publishing books and journals that will help inform, develop, and inspire action in that direction.

In addition, publishers are encouraged to join the United Nations Global Compact, a voluntary initiative based on CEO commitments to implement universal sustainability principles and to take steps to support UN goals.

Read the full press release from SDG Publishers Compact launch. For a full list of members, click here.

Signatories to the SDG Publishers Compact commit to:

1. Committing to the SDGs: Stating sustainability policies and targets on our website, including adherence to this Compact; incorporating SDGs and their targets as appropriate.

2. Actively promoting and acquiring content that advocates for themes represented by the SDGs, such as equality, sustainability, justice and safeguarding and strengthening the environment.

3. Annually reporting on progress towards achieving SDGs, sharing data and contribute to benchmarking activities, helping to share best practices and identify gaps that still need to be addressed.

4. Nominating a person who will promote SDG progress, acting as a point of contact and coordinating the SDG themes throughout the organization.

5. Raising awareness and promoting the SDGs among staff to increase awareness of SDG-related policies and goals and encouraging projects that will help achieve the SDGs by 2030.

6. Raising awareness and promoting the SDGs among suppliers, to advocate for SDGs and to collaborate on areas that need innovative actions and solutions.

7. Becoming an advocate to customers and stakeholders by promoting and actively communicating about the SDG agenda through marketing, websites, promotions and projects.

8. Collaborating across cities, countries, and continents with other signatories and organizations to develop, localize and scale projects that will advance progress on the SDGs individually or through their Publishing Association.

9. Dedicating budget and other resources towards accelerating progress for SDG-dedicated projects and promoting SDG principles.

10. Taking action on at least one SDG goal, either as an individual publisher or through your national publishing association and sharing progress annually.

If you would like to join the Compact, please click here to sign

Launch of the SDG Publishers Compact

Frequently Asked Questions

The compact features 10 action points that publishers, publishing associations and others can commit to undertaking in order to accelerate progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Signatories aspire to develop sustainable practices and act as champions of the SDGs, publishing books and journals that will help inform, develop and inspire action in that direction.

The compact welcomes publishers, publisher associations, booksellers and any other organization active in the publishing industry.

The sooner you sign the compact the better. The compact supports the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, the earlier we start supporting the goals together, the better the chances to accomplish them.

The compact is voluntary and not legally binding.

There is no fee to join the compact.

As a signatory, you can now download the compact Logo and put it on your website. Then you can start addressing any of the ten commitments according to your organization’s priorities. Let us know about your progress using #SDGPublishersCompact on social media.

You can put the compact logo on your website to show that you are part of it. In addition, we will host a list of all signatories on this website and update it on a regular basis.

You can pick anyone from your company to be the focal point for your work around the SDGs but it helps if they have a vision of all the different activities that could relate to your focus SDG or the SDGs in general.

As the compact was launched during the Frankfurt Bookfair 2020, we are planning to use this annual event to check in with all signatories and their progress. More information to come in 2021. We would love to hear about any initiatives you take to implement the SDGs within your company by emailing us at [email protected] or by using the hashtag #SDGPublishersCompact.

In addition to using the compact logo, we also encourage you to use the SDG communications material available here.

In case your organization would like to withdraw from the Compact, please contact us via: [email protected]