What Being A B Corp Means To Us 

If you’ve been publishing with Lulu for a while, you know we’re not shy about discussing our B Corp certification. 

To recap—In 2002, Lulu made publishing available to everyone through Print-on-Demand technology, enabling authors and creators to publish and distribute their work to readers worldwide. From the beginning, Lulu had two goals: to free authors from publishing constraints and do so in an eco-friendly manner. These goals are important because we are passionate about sustaining the Earth and want to help make the world better than it was yesterday. How can we do that? By using sustainable production methods that are good for authors and creators while still being good for the world. 

To ensure we’re positively impacting the world‌, we became B Corp certified in 2016. But what does it mean to be a B Corp? Why does it matter? What exactly makes us a B Corp? Before we get into all the B Corp stuff, let’s take a peek at how publishing‌ impacts our planet. 

How Does Publishing Impact Our Planet?  

What’s the first thing you think about when you hear the word ‘publishing’? My mind goes straight to one thing: paper. And it’s a lot of paper. 32 million trees worth of paper a year in the United States alone, to be precise. While producing paper for book printing has significant environmental implications, publishing’s environmental impact is complex and goes beyond the blank page. 

Let’s look at some numbers. 

The Numbers 

According to UNESCO, there are more than 2 million books printed each year in the US alone. On top of that, producing books emit over 40 million tons of CO₂ each year. Paper manufacturers are the third-largest users of fossil fuels worldwide: they require significant amounts of oil and gas at different phases of turning trees into books.  

Waste in the Traditional Publishing Industry 

Traditional publishing produces a LOT more books than it sells. It is an industry that historically prints thousands of copies of books before any of them are bought. Large publishers have the budget to create high-volume initial print runs of their titles if they want to. Sometimes, retailers will be left with a surplus of copies of books that haven’t sold as expected, which creates massive waste. In fact, 40% of all books printed by traditional publishers go unsold. 

So, what happens to unsold books? To save shipping costs, rather than returning unsold copies of books to the publisher, retailers will often simply tear off the covers of their unsold copies and send these back to prove those books didn’t sell. The remainder of the books may be sent to be recycled (which consumes even more energy on top of the energy spent to produce the book in the first place) or, even worse, simply dumped in landfills.  

How can self-publishing offset the waste of the traditional publishing industry? By producing our books on demand, there’s no excess inventory going to waste. Not to mention, there is never any warehousing of books, cutting down on emissions from storage facilities. 

What is a B Corp? 

In short, B Corps are for-profit companies that don’t just talk the talk. We harness the power of business while observing higher standards of performance, transparency, and accountability, all done to solve social and environmental problems. All certified B Corps are vetted by the non-profit B Lab and must achieve an impact assessment score of at least 80 of 200 points to join a network of businesses transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. 

Why Does Being a B Corp Matter to Us? 

From Lulu founder Bob Young: 

Lulu’s original intent was to remove barriers to publishing so that all authors could tell their story and profit from their knowledge. Little did we know, the print-on-demand business model we developed would eventually save millions and millions of trees from being turned into books no one wanted.

Lulu is the first online publishing company to achieve B Corp certification.

Customers are becoming more thoughtful about their purchases from large corporations. We embrace these conscientious consumers because our business is on a solid foundation for doing good. The third-party certification verifies that we live by our words.  

Our B Corp certification is important because it creates a bar we must maintain. And more than that, it allows us to measure our commitment and impact against nationally recognized metrics. 

How Are We A B Corp? 

You might be scratching your head right about now: how can a publishing company be a B Corp? Publishing and sustainability… the irony, I know. We discussed earlier how publishing impacts our planet. But publishing can be sustainable. And becoming a B Corp is no easy task. Our impact assessment is measured on a variety of scales, from our community impact to the energy we consume. 

To achieve B Corp Certification, businesses must prove they are good for: 

• The employees 
• The community 
• The environment 
• The long-term 

Let’s‌ look at a variety of different factors that helped us achieve our B Corp certification. 

Acid-Free Paper 

Making our product in the most efficient and conscientious method possible has always been a priority for Lulu. Luckily, when it comes to printing books, the products that make the best books also tend to be the most environmentally friendly. We start with acid-free paper., The paper is made from cellulose fiber and infused with water to ensure neutral or basic PH levels. This process creates a paper impervious to the rigors of time. Since the 1980s, acid-free has been the standard for printing paper and Lulu is proud to use only acid-free paper at all of our printers. Using this standard in the archivable paper isn’t a big leap for Lulu (in fact, most book printers will use this kind of paper), but it is one more way we strive for the best and most efficient products possible. 

Print-On-Demand 

Thanks to print-on-demand technology, Lulu’s business model prevents the horrendous waste of natural resources, ensuring our books have the smallest carbon footprint possible. Books ordered from Lulu are printed when purchased and shipped directly from the printer to the buyer, eliminating waste from inventory and emissions from storage facilities. Digital printing and print-on-demand are inherently green because we only produce what is required. Lulu never prints books before they are bought and paid for, this differs from the traditional method of offset printing. Printing on-demand enables Lulu’s network of printers to conserve paper and ink while ensuring your book is always available to potential readers.  

Our print partners are also the best of the best with a 0.5% defect rate, meaning there are very few books printed by Lulu that don’t end up in the hands of readers. 

Supply Chain 

Supply chain is another factor that helps us stay sustainable. This is the typical life cycle of a traditionally published book: 

1. Printed at a print facility 
2. Trucked to a storage location/hub 
3. Products shipped in smaller quantities to individual stores 
4. Customers drive to the store to purchase 
5. Unsold books are trucked to a storage location/hub 

Even for a mass-produced book sold online, there is a similar cycle of transportation and storage at hub facilities before the book is packed and shipped to the reader. 

Now look at that versus the life cycle of a print-on-demand book: 

1. Printed at a print facility 
2. Shipped directly to the reader  

We’ll never completely eliminate the supply chain, but we can do our best to keep that chain short and clean.  

Lulu 2018 Transparency Report

To learn more about our impact and what makes us a B Corp, check out our 2018 Transparency Report.

Download The Report

Supporting Our Community 

Our commitment to being a B Corp extends beyond eco-friendly publishing practices. It is deeply rooted in our dedication to fostering a positive impact on the communities around us. Our commitment to social responsibility is reflected in how we engage with and support various nonprofit organizations and initiatives that align with our values.

We’ve partnered with and supported a range of organizations that work tirelessly to improve lives and communities. Here are some of the initiatives we’re proud to be associated with:

• Note in the Pocket
  • Provides clothing to impoverished and homeless children in Wake County, North Carolina, offering them dignity and hope through community support. 
• No Woman, No Girl 
  • No Woman, No Girl is dedicated to supporting women and girls in need by providing them with essential resources and support to help them achieve independence and empowerment. 
• Diaper Bank of NC
  • The Diaper Bank of North Carolina is a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide diapers to families in need across North Carolina, promoting health, dignity, and well-being in the community. 
• Toys for Tots
  • Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve that distributes new, unwrapped toys during the holidays to less fortunate children in the community. The program aims to deliver a message of hope and help uplift their spirits. 
• Amy’s Rays of Sunshine 
  • Amy’s Rays of Sunshine is a nonprofit organization founded by Amy Steeves, designed to support bone marrow transplant patients through their period of isolation by providing them with boxes filled with cards of encouragement and hope, reflecting the love and support Amy received from her community during her transplant in 2019.
• 321 Coffee
  • 321 Coffee is a social enterprise and coffee shop that is staffed by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, aiming to promote inclusion, provide meaningful employment opportunities, and serve great coffee within a community that celebrates diversity. 
• The ALS Association
  • The ALS Association is a national non-profit organization dedicated to fighting Lou Gehrig’s Disease through global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships.

Recycled Paper Is Not That Green 

The use of recycled paper for interior quality paper is not actually that “green” as it requires a lot of chemical bleaching to get it back to a usable brightness. Instead, organizations like PEFC and the FSC support chain of custody schemes that trace paper origin back to a forest run sustainably. All the papers used by our print partners are PEFC or FSC-accredited.

Read our updated impact report to learn more about our impact and what makes us a B Corp.

Why Is It Important to Support B Corp Companies? 

Lulu is a business run by humans to help other humans create and sell their content. Lulu may not directly cure diseases or end world hunger, but we can amplify the voices of authors who take on these difficult issues. Whether it’s talking about social justice issues or raising awareness, businesses should take a stance.  

Choosing Lulu means ‌you advocate for environmental and social change and believe in the power of for-profit businesses that do good.  

So spread the word that you are part of this great B Corp family; you hang out with Lulu, Etsy, Dr. Bronner’s, Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia, and many more. Support awesome B Corps in your area. There are all sorts of ways to change the world. Your relationship with Lulu, whether you’re an author, reader, or admirer from afar, is a declaration to the world that you support purpose-driven business. 

Naveen A

Naveen is a Social Media Specialist at Lulu which basically translates to being paid to spend time on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tik Tok, and Twitter. When she’s not focused on brainstorming content ideas for Lulu, you’ll find her cooking up a snazzy skincare recipe in her room.