Our Social and Sustainability Commitments
At De Gruyter Brill, we consider our environmental, social, and governance responsibilities as driving forces behind our mission, vision and values. We endeavor to have a positive influence on society by contributing to social progress, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering inclusivity and diversity – in our publications and our business practices.
As part of our commitments to society, we signed the SDG Publishers Compact, which contributes to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developed by the UN. These goals address pressing global questions and act as themes for our publications, blog, podcast episodes and our social initiatives.
We sponsor a number of programs and fellowships that have taken these commitments as their primary mission, including the De Gruyter Foundation, eBound, Scaliger Fellowship, Research4Life, and support for the Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, among many others.
Leading the change
Sustainability, equity, and inclusion can feel like unsolvable challenges in today's society. Many people who want to work on these problems might ask themselves: Where do we even start?
We're starting here: By conducting thorough and objective examinations of our own business practices, we are collecting valuable data that can help shape truly impactful ESG initiatives that can transform not just our company, but the wider publishing industry. We want to go beyond the surface, to dive deep and examine every area of publishing and find ways to make a positive impact on our communities and society overall.
The initiatives below are just the beginning. Watch this space for more to come in the future.
Environment & Sustainability
Climate change continues to pose an urgent threat to our planet and humanity. Next to publishing books and journals that center climate change research, we aim to reduce the environmental impact of our business through a variety of measures.
- Printing all De Gruyter books in a climate-neutral manner
- Banning plastic wraps and bags for wrapping our books
- Compensating CO2 usage for Brill marketing materials and travel
- Reducing plane travel and opting for train journeys
- Sponsoring the Green Library Award, given to libraries which best demonstrate their commitment to environmental sustainability
People & Society
Our mission is to publish research that shapes a better future. This commitment extends beyond the scholarly community, into society as a whole. We are committed to disseminating new knowledge and supporting academic learning around the world by sponsoring programs in different disciplines, including:
- Research4life, which gives access to peer-reviewed academic content to researchers in low-income countries.
- The Brill Fellowship at the Scaliger Institute, which makes it possible for researchers to study the special collections of Leiden University's library.
- Sponsorship of the Rijksmuseum Boerhaave (History of Science), and the annual Plantin lecture, both based in Leiden.
- Future Designers in Libraries Award, which awards creative solutions to shaping libraries of the future
Diversity & Inclusion
We prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion and aim to create an environment that respects and values differences. By investing in resources for equal opportunities and fostering an inclusive publishing process and working culture, we aim to minimize bias and address systemic inequities
- As part of the Joint Commitment for Action on Inclusion and Diversity in Publishing, we are working with 51 other publishing organizations to ensure a more inclusive and diverse culture within scholarly publishing.
- Through our own IDEAL Committee (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism, Lived), we host a regular program of events, initiatives and workshops to raise awareness for diversity, inclusion and equity among our staff and with our authors, editors, editorial boards and academic communities that we serve.
Walter De Gruyter Foundation
The Walter de Gruyter Foundation is a nonprofit organization that promotes research and scholarship with a focus on the humanities. The foundation funds five to ten projects each year and awards outstanding academic achievement.
De Gruyter eBound
Founded on the belief that the humanities and social sciences are vital to a healthy and diverse knowledge ecosystem, the De Gruyter eBound foundation is committed to helping small and independent publishers develop new solutions to the most pressing challenges they face today.
Human rights, prohibition of child labor and forced labor
De Gruyter Brill (represented by Walter de Gruyter GmbH) respects the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” of the United Nations and does not tolerate any behavior that disregards it. We expect the same behavior from our suppliers and contractual partners. The company complies with the International Labor and Social Standards (ILO) and rejects forced and child labor.
