Condé Nast Pledges Carbon Neutrality by 2030
Posted on Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 11:38 PM
In the news: The magazine publisher plans sweeping changes to eliminate supply-chain emissions in the next decade.
Condé Nast is stepping up to address climate change. Rachel Koning Beals of MarketWatch.com reports that the publishing giant intends to be carbon-neutral by 2030. Beals writes that "92% of the company's greenhouse gas emissions arose from its supply chain, and not corporate operations, in 2018. If the company continues to chip away at about 10% of those supply-chain emissions every year, it believes it can hit its carbon-neutral goal by 2030."
Although this is a ten-year plan, the company isn't wasting any time getting started: Beals reports that they've "set an initial target of a 20% [reduction] in corporate emissions by the end of 2021. It will also work with suppliers to transition to more sustainable materials, with a commitment to use 100% sustainably-sourced paper, certified by the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), by the end of 2021."
Read more about Condé Nast's ten-year plan here.
Also Notable
Mental Health Challenges at Ad Agencies
Telework has taken a mental toll at a lot of ad agencies. Kristina Monllos of Digiday.com writes that "some agency employees say that it's now easier than ever to work longer hours than usual which can quickly lead to burnout." This has long been a problem in the teleworking world, but companies are seeing it on a much wider scale now that a plurality, if not a majority, are working from home. Ad agencies are experimenting with different solutions to these mental health challenges, including "tweaking vacation policies, encouraging employees to use telemedicine apps, telling employees to figure out a flexible work schedule that fits their needs as well as leading meditation workshops," says Monllos. Read more here.
Industry Magazines Adapting in the Covid-19 Era
Industry magazines are having to improvise on the fly as the Covid-19 pandemic continues. Greg Dool of Foliomag.com wrote this month about the challenges this magazines sector faces and how some publishers are rolling with the punches. Some are shifting to digital-only formats because their print issues are typically mailed to professionals at their now abandoned offices, and others are tweaking their editorial calendars to better serve their readers. But the changes aren't all geared toward the consumer; publishers and human resource departments are finding ways to keep telecommuting staffers feeling engaged, socialized, and mentally well. One magazine, Dool reports, went so far as to throw a graduation party and baby showers for its employees on Zoom. Read more here.
Layoffs at Condé Nast
Earlier this month, Condé Nast laid off nearly 100 of its employees, reported Jessica Bursztynsky of CNBC.com. In addition, she said, the company would furlough 100 other staffers and cut hours for several others. The shake-up comes as publishers across the board are losing ad dollars: Vox, Buzzfeed, and others have also furloughed and/or laid off staff in recent weeks. Read more here.
Shifting Issue Schedules in the Covid-19 Crisis
"September Issues Will Be Exactly What They Say on the Cover This Year," reads a headline this week on WWD.com. Kathryn Hopkins examines the shifting publication schedules of some glossy fashion magazines in response to ad challenges and other scheduling issues presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. She writes: "Nearly every media outlet [is] reporting shrinking ad revenues despite record engagement in many cases." Read more here.
Publishers and Community Outreach
Publishers are facing a myriad of challenges these days, but several are making the time to help the communities they serve. See this article from Folio.com for a round-up of titles giving back to their communities.
Add your comment.
Posted in (RSS)