Sustainability

At Scholastic, we care about the future and the preservation of Earth’s natural resources. As a publisher and distributor of children’s books, one of our goals is to educate and inspire young people to actively pursue environmentally friendly choices. We also feel that it is our responsibility to lead by example. Every part of our organization is committed to demonstrating our respect and concern for the environment. We do this on a daily basis through the decisions we make and the actions we take, whether it’s through office recycling programs, improved warehouse practices, or leadership in paper procurement policies. In these and other ways, we hope to help ensure that children can learn, grow, and prosper in a healthy world, now and for generations to come.

Paper Procurement

Scholastic is dedicated to sustainable paper procurement practices, and we work hard to ensure that we are producing quality products in a responsible manner from design to material specification to finished goods. Our procurement policy extends purchasing preference to products and suppliers that exhibit superior environmental performance and that are aligned with specific goals. Our full paper procurement policy can be found here.

Environmental Stewardship and Education

Since our founding more than 100 years ago, Scholastic has had a dual focus on literacy and citizenship. Today, as the largest publisher and distributor of children's books and educational resources, our mission is to help all children become informed, engaged, and responsible global citizens[LM2].

Our Scholastic Magazines+, which publishes more than 30 titles for pre-K to grade 12 and reaches more than 20 million students and teachers around the world, has been covering environmental issues since 1969, beginning with an article titled “Man’s Environment: Can We Save It?” The following year, with the first Earth Day celebration, Scholastic Magazines began developing educational materials for the classroom and supporting this national day of action by actively encouraging kids to participate, attend city council meetings, and bring awareness to environmental issues. In 1971, Scholastic Earth Corps study kits were launched, and since that time the magazines continue to cover critical environmental issues year-around including global conservation efforts, climate change, endangered animals, sustainable energy efforts, eco-friendly innovations, and more.

Our Scholastic Kids Press, a team of talented journalists between the ages of 10 and 14 from around the world who report “news for kids, by kids,” cover stories that affect all children’s lives, including the ongoing effects of climate change. They have been recognized for their efforts to bring attention to cities that are making efforts to become environmentally sustainable, initiatives to protect endangered marine life, and some of the ways young people are making their voices heard on environmental issues.

Scholastic Education Canada offers many resources on this important topic, including specific titles from our inquiry based social justice series Take Action.  Titles such as In Our Hands, Earth Action, Every Drop Counts, and Are You hungry introduce students to significant environmental issues related to sustainability, conservation, environmental protection, and ethical global citizenship.  A sample of these resources can be found here.

Through the decades, our Scholastic Canada Publishing characters and brands have also included content in both print and multimedia that feature Earth Day and environmental themes in both English and French.  Most recent publications include: Nibi’s Water Song (2023), Scholastic Canada Biographies: Meet David Suzuki (2021), Generation Hope: You(th) Can Make a Difference! (2021), and Nutshimit: In the Woods (2023).