Green Audit Rubric
Definitions
| Criteria | Definition |
|---|---|
| Webpage on sustainability | Is there a webpage on sustainability? Is it easy to find? Is all the information on one page or are you being linked to many other pages? |
| Sustainability roles | Do they have people in specific sustainability roles? |
| Net Zero | Does the publisher have any Net Zero goals or commitments? By what year? |
| Certifications | Does the publisher have any certifications such as ISO 14000? LEED certification? |
| Carbon emissions | Does the publisher have any statistics on their yearly carbon emissions breakdown? Any commitments to decrease? |
| Biodiversity | Does the publisher make any statements on protecting biodiversity? |
| UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) | Does the publisher align themselves with/target any UN SDGs? Which ones? |
| Sustainable paper | Does the publisher use sustainable paper? |
| Recycling processes | Does the publisher discuss how they recycle their print? Office-related recycling? |
| Editions | Does the vendor outline what updates new editions include and are the updates worth a new edition? |
| Open Educational Resources (OERs) | Does the vendor support and/or promote/ offer OERs? What about Open Access in general? |
| Servers / Data side (Sustainable fuels) | Does the publisher disclose their data server emissions? Their data server locations? |
| Sustainable Ink / Glue | Does the vendor mention the sustainability of their inks and glues? |
| E-waste | What does the vendor do with their old computers, servers, hardware? |
| Sustainable travel | Has publisher decreased business travel? Local travel? Working From Home options for staff? |
| Warehouse - Shipping practices (for print) | Does the publisher ship using sustainable materials? Limit the use of plastic? Have some kind of sustainable strategy for the way they package/ship? |
| Warehouse - location | Where are the publisher's warehouses located? Is there one near us? |
| Shipping packaging materials | Does the publisher ship using sustainable materials? Limit the use of plastic? Have some kind of sustainable strategy for the way they package/ship? |
| Buildings | Are the publisher's buildings LEED certified? Do they use alternative energies like solar or wind power? Have they downsized? |
| Other Partnerships (3rd party relationships) | Does the publisher monitor the sustainability of their supply chain? Work with third party sustainability organizations? |
| Scope 1 emissions | Green House Gas (GHG) emissions that a company makes directly — for example, while running its boilers and vehicles. |
| Scope 2 emissions | Emissions a company makes indirectly – for example, when the electricity or energy it buys for heating and cooling buildings is being produced on its behalf. |
| Scope 3 emissions | In this category go all the emissions associated, not with the company itself, but what the organization is indirectly responsible for, up and down its value chain. For example, from buying products from its suppliers, and from its products when customers use them. Emissions-wise, Scope 3 is nearly always the big one. |
| UN SDG Publishers Compact | The 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 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. |
| Blue Standard Office Space Program | Focuses on implementing sustainable operating practices and engaging employees around a healthy workplace and office culture. |
| Science Based Targets Initiatives (SBTi) | Science-based targets provide a clearly defined pathway for companies to reduce GHG emissions, helping prevent the worst impacts of climate change and future-proof business growth. Targets are considered "science-based" if they are in line with what the latest climate science deems necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement i.e., limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. |
| Paris Agreement |
"The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015. It entered into force on 4 November 2016. Its overarching goal is to hold 'the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels' and pursue efforts 'to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.' However, in recent years, world leaders have stressed the need to limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of this century. That’s because the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicates that crossing the 1.5°C threshold risks unleashing far more severe climate change impacts, including more frequent and severe droughts, heatwaves and rainfall. To limit global warming to 1.5°C, greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 at the latest and decline 43% by 2030." |
| Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) | Households and companies can purchase renewable energy credits as a way to supply their home or building with clean energy. An REC generates one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity from a renewable energy source, and then shares it with a power line system that transports energy around the region. RECs are tradable, non-tangible commodities. Businesses can purchase RECs to power their offices or warehouses. Companies may also have difficulties installing renewable energy sources on their property, making renewable energy credits an alternative solution for renewable energy usage. They offer an easy way to reduce carbon footprint and support the clean energy market. Companies often buy RECs to promote their commitment to saving the environment by using clean, renewable energy, which offers the benefits of using renewable energy without the costly investment to build renewable energy infrastructure on-premise. |
| Carbon offsetting | A carbon offset is a reduction or removal of emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. A carbon credit or offset credit is a transferable financial instrument (i.e., a derivative of an underlying commodity) certified by governments or independent certification bodies to represent an emission reduction that can then be bought or sold. Both offsets and credits are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). One carbon offset or credit represents the reduction or removal of one ton of carbon dioxide or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases. |
| Greencast | Organization that measures emissions and helps get other organizations compliant through plan building. |
| Regreener | Enables organizational tree planting, carbon offsetting, support of climate projects, and sustainability goals. |
| Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) | Through its strong association with the United Nations, HESI aims to provide higher education with an interface between higher education, science, and policy making by raising the profile of higher education’s sector in supporting sustainable development, convening multi-stakeholder discussions and action, and sharing best practices. |
| Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) | Recognizes the need to improve the ways in which researchers and the outputs of scholarly research are evaluated. |
The following customized rubric presents a guideline for assessing and evaluating green practices of publishers.
| Type / Category | Criteria | Findings (2023) | Findings (2025) | Details / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Availability of information | Webpage on Sustainability | |||
| Sustainability roles | ||||
| Commitments and Compliance | Net Zero | |||
| Certifications | ||||
| Carbon emissions | ||||
| Biodiversity | ||||
| Sustainable Development Goals - UN | ||||
| Materials | Sustainable paper | |||
| Recycling processes | ||||
| Editions | ||||
| OER | ||||
| Servers / data side (sustainable fuels) | ||||
| Sustainable ink / glue | ||||
| E-waste | ||||
| Transportation | Sustainable travel | |||
| Warehouse - shipping practices (for print) | ||||
| Warehouse - location | ||||
| Shipping packaging materials | ||||
| Infrastructure | Buildings | |||
| Other partnerships (third-party relationships) | ||||
| Total Score | ||||
