ONWARD PAPER PRESS — SUSTAINABILITY STATEMENT Published June 2026.

Next review: December 2026.

OUR COMMITMENT

At Onward Paper Press we believe that a publisher of sustainability knowledge has a particular responsibility to practise what it publishes. This statement sets out our current sustainability position across every area of our business — what we are doing, what we are measuring, and what we are still working on. We will update this statement in December 2026 with our full Planetary Boundaries contribution assessment.

PRODUCT

Every book published by Onward Paper Press is printed on FSC-certified paper — meaning the paper comes from forests that are responsibly managed to environmental, social, and economic standards. FSC certification is independently verified and covers the full chain of custody from forest to finished page.

We are currently reviewing the full lifecycle environmental impact of our printed books — including paper production, printing, binding, and distribution — against the nine UN Planetary Boundaries framework. We will publish the results of that review in December 2026.

MARKETING

We use carbon calculators to calculate and monitor the carbon footprint of our online marketing activity — including website hosting, email campaigns, and social media.

We are currently developing a methodology for calculating the water footprint of our digital marketing operations. This methodology will be published as part of our December 2026 sustainability update.

We do not use paid advertising. Our marketing is organic — built on content, community, and contributor relationships rather than paid media spend.

SALES

Our sales model is designed to minimise environmental impact at every stage:

— The encyclopaedia is available primarily through direct sale via fashionvocabulary.com — eliminating retail intermediaries and the associated logistics footprint of traditional book distribution
— Institutional access is available digitally — reducing the need for physical print copies at scale
— We do not hold stock. Every physical copy is printed to order — eliminating overproduction waste entirely

SUPPLY CHAIN

We use sustainable products wherever possible across our supply chain. Our current supply chain sustainability position:

— Paper: FSC-certified throughout
— Packaging: FSC-certified packaging materials used for all physical book despatch
— Printing: Print on demand model — zero overstock, zero waste from unsold inventory
— Shipping: We are currently reviewing our logistics partners against sustainability criteria and will publish our preferred carrier policy in December 2026

We are in the process of reviewing our full supply chain against ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) guidelines for any chemical inputs in our printing and binding processes. Results will be published in December 2026.

FINANCE

We are self-funded. There is no external investment, no debt financing, and no shareholder pressure driving volume over sustainability. Every financial decision is made with long-term sustainability of the business and the planet as a primary criterion alongside commercial viability.

OPERATIONS

We operate as a remote-first organisation. Our team works across multiple locations — reducing commuting emissions and eliminating the need for a permanent physical office footprint.

We use cloud-based digital infrastructure for all operations. We are currently assessing the energy and water footprint of our cloud computing and digital platform usage and will include this in our December 2026 update.

RECRUITMENT

We recruit on a fractional and freelance basis — working with specialists as and when needed rather than maintaining a permanent headcount that exceeds operational requirements. This model reduces the employment-related carbon footprint of commuting, office space, and associated resource consumption.

We are committed to equitable recruitment practices — actively seeking contributors and team members from the Global South, from underrepresented communities in publishing, and from disciplines that cross the boundaries of fashion, science, policy, and social justice.

PLANETARY BOUNDARIES ASSESSMENT

The nine Planetary Boundaries provide the scientific framework against which we assess our operations. This table shows our current assessment status. Full quantified results will be published in December 2026.

Seven of the nine Planetary Boundaries have already been exceeded globally. Our current assessment of Onward Paper Press's contribution to each is under active review. Here is where we stand:

Climate Change — Exceeded globally. We are currently reviewing the carbon footprint of our print production, digital operations, and logistics. We use a carbon calculator for our digital marketing activity. Full assessment: December 2026.

Biosphere Integrity — Exceeded globally. Our FSC-certified paper addresses forest biodiversity at the sourcing stage. A full supply chain biodiversity impact assessment is underway. Full assessment: December 2026.

Land System Change — Exceeded globally. FSC certification addresses deforestation risk in our paper supply. Full assessment: December 2026.

Freshwater Use — Exceeded globally. We are currently developing a methodology for calculating the water footprint of our digital and physical operations. Full assessment: December 2026.

Biogeochemical Flows — Exceeded globally. The ink and chemical inputs used in our printing process are currently being reviewed against ZDHC guidelines. Full assessment: December 2026.

Novel Entities — Exceeded globally. Chemical inputs in our printing and packaging are under review. Full assessment: December 2026.

Ocean Acidification — Exceeded globally. Our indirect contribution through energy use and logistics is under review. Full assessment: December 2026.

Atmospheric Aerosol Loading — Within safe limits. We are monitoring our contribution. No direct aerosol-producing operations have been identified in our current activities.

Stratospheric Ozone Depletion — Within safe limits. We are monitoring our contribution. No ozone-depleting substances have been identified in our current operations.

We publish this assessment in its current incomplete form because we believe an honest statement of where we are — including what we do not yet know — is more valuable than a polished claim we cannot fully substantiate. That is what this encyclopaedia is about. It is what we hold ourselves to as well.

Next full update: December 2026.

OUR HONEST POSITION

We are a small independent publisher at the beginning of our sustainability measurement journey. We have made the commitments we can verify right now — FSC paper, FSC packaging, print on demand, carbon calculation for digital marketing, and a water footprint methodology in development. We are not yet able to publish a complete quantified assessment of our contribution to every Planetary Boundary. We will do so in December 2026.

We believe that an honest statement of where we are — including what we do not yet know — is more valuable than a polished sustainability claim we cannot fully substantiate. That is what this encyclopaedia is about. It is what we hold ourselves to as well.

Onward Paper Press Sustainability Statement — June 2026
Next full update: December 2026
Contact: info@fashionvocabulary.com
www.fashionvocabulary.com