The Book Chain Project gives publishers the information they need to tell the full story of their books; from the origins of tree fibres in the papers, the safety of chemicals in their inks, glues and varnishes, to the working conditions of the factories where the books were made.

The Book Chain Project has three tools to help publishers better understand their book supply chains:

1. PREPS assesses responsible forest sources for hundreds of paper brands, delving into the pulps to identify the tree species and the countries in which those trees were harvested.
2. PIPS collects and screens chemicals used in book components – inks, varnishes, glues etc. – and alerts publishers to the safety laws that control their use and importation.
3. PRELIMS shares publishers’ expectations for labour conditions and environmental performance at the manufacturing sites that make books.

This initiative is run by Carnstone and involves twenty-eight leading book and journal publishers worldwide. We also appreciate the participation from many other people along the book supply chain and around the world, including 420 printing companies and 279 paper manufacturers.