Arcadia Publishing First on 100% FSC Paper

The nation’s largest local history publisher has expanded its focus on preservation efforts and is now the country’s first major book publisher to achieve the use of 100 percent Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper across its entire book publishing program.

Arcadia Publishing, creators of the iconic pictorial history books with widely recognized sepia covers, has more than 6,000 titles in print and will publish 700 new titles this year. New releases and reprints now carry the accredited FSC label. Products using the FSC label are independently certified to assure consumers the paper comes from forests that are managed to meet the social, economic and ecological needs of present and future generations.

Arcadia Publishing CEO, Richard Joseph, views the initiative as a natural next step for the company. “Consistent with our commitment to help communities preserve history through local and regional history books, we have extended our efforts to improve the impact we have on our environment,” Joseph said.

With the implementation of 100 percent FSC certified paper; Arcadia Publishing has surpassed the goals set for industry standards as identified in The Book Industry Treatise on Responsible Paper Use by 500 percent, and almost two years ahead of schedule. The treaty, developed in 2006 by a wide range of industry stakeholders and coordinated by the Green Press Initiative (GPI), calls for the publishing FSC-US-0146 industry to aim to raise its use of FSC certified paper to a level of 20 percent by 2012.

GPI Director Tyson Miller commends the company for its early success. “Arcadia Publishing’s FSC achievement is quite an accomplishment and is a model for other publishers to consider and follow when it comes to supporting best practices in forest management,” Miller said.