Last updated: August 2026

Thames & Hudson is committed to being a sustainable publisher. To that end we are participating in the UN Global Compact, which is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative.

Environment

• We are making a concerted effort to minimize the negative impact our activities have on the environment.

Social

• It is fundamentally important to us that people at T&H and in our supply chain are treated fairly, that their rights are protected and they are not discriminated against.

Governance

• We adhere to the highest standards of business ethics.

Our environmental initiatives

We have signed the Publishing Declares Pledge. This includes commitments to setting measurable targets to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, while also protecting nature and biodiversity, strengthening sustainable industry partnerships, educating staff on climate issues and using our platform to advocate for environmental action.

We have conducted a carbon footprint of the business using the leading international standard, the Green House Gas Protocol. This has enabled us to identify the most problematic areas and establish a benchmark for reductions.

Paper

• Paper is the single largest source of emissions arising from our activities (because of the energy needed to convert pulp into paper). We are working with our suppliers to move from high to low-carbon papers.
• Additionally, we are aware of the harm that occurs because of uncontrolled deforestation. Therefore, we have been requiring our suppliers to use paper from mills that have been certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

Printing

• We are committed to working only with print suppliers who can demonstrate a commitment to the preserving the environment. We require ISO 14001 accreditation as a minimum. ISO 14001 is a standard that requires effective Environmental Management Systems to be in place. These ensure effective management of waste, careful use of energy and recycling processes in line with governments standards.
• We are aiming to further reduce emissions and waste by increasing use of economical page size formats.

Shipping & distribution

• We are a global publisher, so transporting our books to customers inevitably has an environmental impact. We are minimizing this by shipping rather than air freighting books. 91% of our shipping is with companies that have certified schemes to reduce emissions in line with science-based targets.
• We are also aiming to consolidate as many shipments as possible, which has a positive impact on milage and emissions.

Office-related emissions

• In early 2025 we moved into a new office building, which is highly energy efficient. We use air source heat pumps for our heating and we use renewable electricity. This has resulted in our office-related emissions decreasing by around 80%.
• We have the recycling facilities in place to ensure we comply with the workplace recycling regulations that came into effect on 31 March 2025.

Staff-related emissions

• Business travel is the most significant source of staff-related emissions, so we have introduced sustainable travel principles that prioritise rail transport and virtual meetings. 
• We have quantified the emissions generated by staff commuting. These are less than 1% of the total. Our new office is in central London, so almost all staff commute using public transport.

Our social initiatives

We are committed to being an inclusive, respectful and welcoming company. You can read our Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Statement here.

We also expect our suppliers to share our values, and so over 2026 have been asking them to commit to an ethical code of conduct. This is in addition to clauses in our contracts that prohibit the use of forced or child labour. 

Our publishing programme includes titles that aim to encourage and promote sustainability. Examples are: The Green Imperative; The Eco-Design Handbook; Sustainable Materials, Processes and Production; The New Autonomous House; Design & Landscape for People; Habitat; The Sustainable Fashion Handbook; The Eco-Travel Handbook; How to Thrive in the Next Economy; The Big Book of Belonging; The Big Book of Bugs.

Governance

Our executive board approve our sustainability plans and monitor progress toward targets.