CASE STUDY
Improving our approach to sustainable marketing
As a publisher with a global presence, we have a responsibility to be mindful of our wider impact on society and to evolve our ways of working to become more sustainable.
In February last year, colleagues from marketing teams across the organization came together to form a new Sustainable Marketing Working Group—the first group of its kind to be established at OUP.
The group has a dual focus. It examines the sustainability of marketing materials—including catalogues and event collateral—while also raising awareness about sustainability and the SDGs.
As part of its initial steps, the group conducted a survey to clarify the types of marketing materials and channels that are used across the organization, seeking to understand customer perceptions on sustainability and the potential challenges of adopting sustainable marketing practices in the different markets in which we operate.
Based on this research, we have developed a Sustainable Marketing Charter that sets out our commitments in this area. The Charter also provides a toolkit to help our global marketing teams choose more sustainable materials in their day-to-day activities and identify opportunities to use marketing channels and materials to raise awareness about sustainability. We have committed to using sustainable paper for 100% of our marketing collateral by 2025, while also wanting to reduce the amount of marketing print we produce overall.
‘Our marketers have an important role in supporting OUP’s sustainability efforts, through implementing more sustainable marketing practices, helping to educate and advocate for sustainability in our communications, and ensuring we listen to what our customers are saying.’
Carmen Gould
Global Marketing Director, Education Division
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