Summary

Code of conduct and sustainability – Cappelen Damm AS

Cappelen Damm is Norway's largest publisher. We develop, disseminate, sell and distribute knowledge, culture and reading experiences to adults and children. Cappelen Damm launches analog and digital publications in all genres in the general market and for all educational levels in the educational markets. In total, the publishing house launches about 3000 new releases: hardcover first editions, digital teaching materials, audiobooks, e-books, and pocketbooks. According to the Norwegian Publishers Association statistics, this constitutes almost 40% of all book releases in Norway.

As Norway's largest and oldest publishing house, we at Cappelen Damm feel a responsibility to meet the climate challenge by spreading knowledge and creating debate through our publications, and by taking responsibility for the publications creating the least possible climate impact. To reduce the environmental impact of our activities as much as possible, we use our own and our partners’ certifications.

To achieve our goals, we work with the publisher's and partners' certifications. Cappelen Damm is certified according to Eco-Lighthouse, FSC® and PEFC and has committed our goal by SBTi agreement. We regularly analyze our product portfolio to purposely work on further improvements. We prepare annual energy and climate accounts as well as Sustainability Reports. All the publisher's purchases of goods and services must be according to our requirements for sustainable procurement. Cappelen Damm reserves the right to at any time and at our sole discretion, conduct evaluations of manufacturers and suppliers to ensure that they follow these guidelines.

Cappelen Damm aims to be the most sustainable publishing house in Norway. The publisher has committed (by SBTi agreement) to reduce scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 from 2018 as base year, and to measure and reduce scope 3 emissions.

We aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to book production by 42 per cent by 2030 (compared to the base year 2018) and by 84 per cent by 2040.

The reduction of the publisher's emissions takes place either by making current components less polluting and seeking production methods that have less greenhouse gas emissions, or by finding new and lower emission alternatives on materials that are included in the printed book. Since the base year 2018, we have reduced emissions by 37 percent, last year's climate accounts showed.

• Eco-Lighthouse-certification is the most recognized environmental certification of office buildings in Norway and has good HMS-routines and environmental and sustainability in focus. Environmental management also requires documentation and description of measures for energy efficiency, waste recycling, environmentally certified suppliers and procurement.
• Cappelen Damm’s contractual suppliers are obliged to accept the publisher’s Code of Conduct. This is ensured with due diligence assessments such as SMETA, ICTI, and BSCI audits carried out by accredited auditors. Our Code of Conduct constitutes an agreement that supports, respects, and protects the rights of individuals, and respects and protects fundamental human rights, proper working conditions and the environment. “Proper working conditions” are defined as regulated working conditions that prohibit child labor, forced or compulsory labor, and discrimination based on race, religion, age, nationality, social or ethnic background, sexual orientation, or political conviction. Furthermore, union organizing shall be permitted, health and safety standards ensured, and wages shall cover employees’ basic needs. Actual negative consequences or substantial risk for negative consequences that are revealed via due diligence assessments in which a lack of compliance with our Code of Conduct is identified can lead to termination of our contract for service.

The Transparency Act came into force on July 1, 2022, and aims to promote businesses' respect for fundamental human rights and decent working conditions in connection with the production of goods and the provision of services. The Transparency Act does not apply to foreign companies that are not taxable in Norway, but Cappelen Damm sets requirements for our subcontractors regarding human rights and decent working conditions. Our foreign suppliers and partners who are not obligated by the Transparency Act are still obliged to respect human rights and decent working conditions through our contracts with them, and any other regulations the suppliers are subject to.

• We seek printing companies that have achieved ISO 14001 certification / EMAS, or other alternative environmental requirements.

Certification means that printing companies comply with their own environmental regulations and continuously improve its environmental performance. Printing companies not holding ISO 14001 certification / EMAS, are assumed to still work actively with the measures that are part of ISO 14001 / EMAS or alternative environmental certificates, and to work according to these requirements.

• We will use FSC certified (Forest Stewardship Council ™) or PEFC certified (Programmed for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes ™) paper, where possible. The certification is based on sustainable forest management (traceability), replanting programs and lowest possible pollution and effects on wildlife, water, air etc. FSC also emphasizes the importance of protecting the rights of indigenous people. See also www.fsc.org and www.pefc.no.
• The publisher's products that are defined as toys have been tested and marked in accordance with the Toy Safety Directive and meet all regulatory requirements.
• We seek to discover optimal formats which enable as many printer companies as possible to print and produce in an efficient, economical way
• We are members of PREPS (Publishers' database for Responsible Environmental Paper Sourcing).

PREPS imprint technical specifications and details on the paper that is used, in which paper is graded from 1 to 5 (where 5 is the best). The grading indicates whether the material is legally manufactured (or recycled) and how the forest, as a source, has been managed.  PREPS is continuously updated according to the developments occurring within the forestry and paper industry. We do not accept paper awarded grade 1.

• The REACH legislation is implemented in our agreements.

This EU legislation intends to improve and protect the climate and human health.

• Our main criteria for choosing suppliers

Our main criteria for choosing suppliers, besides our other requirements as described herein, is dependability, ability to respond through every part of the value chain and a desire to support supplier development and partnership. Based on the requirements described herein, our prices shall be leading, and the quality shall fit the product.

If you need further information about Code of Conduct or Sustainability in Cappelen Damm, please feel free to contact Sustainability Director Roy Jensrud (roy.jensrud (at) cappelendamm.no)