When you walk into a bookstore, you see shelves of beautiful new books. What you do not see is what happens to the ones that do not sell. The truth is shocking: 40% of all books published globally are returned to publishers and destroyed.
The Returns System
Since the Great Depression, the book industry has operated on a returns model. Booksellers can return any unsold book to the publisher for full credit. According to the Independent Publishers Guild, 70% to 90% of returned books get pulped — shredded into fiber for cardboard or tissue paper.
The Numbers Are Staggering
- In the UK alone, 77 million unsold books are destroyed each year.
- That accounts for the destruction of 1.6 million trees.
- For one publisher, pulping $100 million worth of books required: 524,554 trees, energy to power 9,888 homes, CO2 equal to 12,217 cars.
- Over 1.5 billion books produced each year never reach a buyer.
Why Reuse Beats Recycling
A study in the journal Sustainability found that reusing books saves more than twice as much energy as recycling their paper. When a book is reused, the entire production footprint is amortized across multiple readers.
What You Can Do
- Buy second-hand: Every used book is one less new book printed.
- Donate your books: Give them to Kitaaby so they reach a new reader.
- Spread awareness: Most people do not know about book destruction.