Welcome to our 7th sustainability newsletter. It’s been some time since our last edition in the summer and in this issue, we’ll share updates on our 2025 emissions, the acquisition of TJ books and the latest on EUDR.
SBTi – Scopes 1 and 2
In our scopes 1 and 2, we’re pleased to report a 51% reduction in market-based emissions in 2025 due to the first full year on 100% renewable electricity, sourced fromhydropower and wind.
Behind this, our electricity use per square metre of throughput has decreased by 8%, linked to investments in more energy efficient equipment and LED lighting.
Our scope 1 emissions, largely from our heating, have remained similar whilst we continue to review alternative options in the background.
This now puts us on a strong trajectory to meet our SBTi goal with an overall 87% reduction from 2019, exceeding the 46.2% target for 2030.
Scope 3 – Recalculation
Since first measuring our scope 3, we’ve been improving our calculation methods each year; switching over from averages to supplier data. While positive, these adjustments distort our SBTi performance.
Therefore, we’ve now recalculated our historic emissions to retroactively apply these improved methods. This is not only important to report accurately, but also to focus our reduction efforts in the right places. We’ve released a full outline on our website, the key changes are below alongside our 2025 performance:
- Paper: Integrated supplier data and improved sector averages.
- Materials: Replaced averages with product-level data, added activity-based data and updated sector averages.
- Services: Expanded coverage and improved data granularity.
- Transport: Switched to data directly from our hauliers across all years.
Factoring in these new methods, our scope 3 emissions have reduced by 4% from 2024 due to a wide range of factors described below.
2025 Key Changes:
- Upstream electricity: -1,352 TCO2e Emissions from sourcing fuels for electricity reduced to zero following the switch from bioenergy to hydropower and wind, which require no fuel inputs.
- Glue: -422 TCO2e Supplier emissions dropped due to a change in manufacturing location.
- Paper: -281 TCO2e Upstream carbon intensity fell by 6%, driven by lower supplier emissions and adopting lower carbon products.
- Laminate: -247 TCO2e Supplier emissions decreased as a result of operational efficiencies and machinery upgrades.
- Waste: -178 TCO2e Decreased by 33% after diverting a waste stream away from landfill.
- Plates: +581 TCO2e Increased due to higher purchasing volumes in 2025, linked to more shorter run conventional work.
- Capital Goods: +347 TCO2e Rose due to investing in a new binding line, expected to be offset with reductions in other categories over time.
- Deliveries: +221 TCO2e Higher mileage linked to completing more direct deliveries and a wider distribution area.
- Other categories: +172 TCO2e
Overall, the 17% decrease in our scope 3 emissions from 2019 remains within our SBTi pathway for a 27.5% reduction by 2030. Throughout this year, these results will help shape our further supplier engagement efforts and reduction objectives.
Our full updated carbon footprint figures and methodology documents are now available on our website page here Sustainability – Clays.
TJ Books
In February last year, we acquired another printer based in Cornwall – TJ Books. TJoperates on a smaller scale and specialises in shorter run digital printing, complementing our existing focus on longer run production and enabling work to be routed more efficiently across the sites.
As part of the Clays group, we’ve completed a full assessment of TJ’s carbon emissions and factored the results into our SBTi objectives. As the baseline year for our targets is 2019, we’ve included their emissions from 2019 onwards to track progress consistently. In 2025, TJ made up 7% of group-wide absolute emissions, compared with 93% associated with Bungay.
Given the ongoing operational changes and the associated shifts in TJ’s emissions since 2019, we plan to review and develop updated SBTi reduction targets for TJ to align with the longer-term direction.
A full breakdown of TJ Books’ carbon emissions within our group figures will be released on the website in due course.
EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
The EUDR formed our top priority last year, with compliance originally planned for the end of the year. Through the course of 2025, we worked diligently to develop the necessary data interfaces, internal systems and risk assessment processes in preparation.
This involved coordinating across our entire value chain; with suppliers, customers and industry forums including BIC, the BPIF and the Book Chain Project to create a harmonised approach.
In late December, just before the regulation was due to enter into force, the EU confirmed a further 1-year postponement, the exclusion of printed products including books and additional changes to due diligence obligations across the supply chain.
We are currently reviewing the guidance from the European Commission to understand the exact implications of these changes and determine the next steps. Nonetheless, we hope that the level of cooperation achieved across the supply chain for the EUDR can serve as a model for the further industry-wide collaboration needed for sustainability.
Next time
In the next edition, you can expect updates on:
- Supplier engagement
- Energy efficiency
- Sustainable materials guide
- EUDR implementation
- Industry working groups
Please find further information on our our website page here.
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