Franziska on Certified Climate-conscious Book Trading

From now on, bookstores that publicly announce on the VLB-TIX website that they are foregoing printed preview catalogs will not only receive fame and glory, but also official proof of sustainability in the form of a certificate. And as a thank you for their exemplary reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, we will also plant one tree per bookstore.

We asked our colleague Franziska, who works as marketing manager for VLB-TIX, how the idea for the campaign came about and why a certificate for climate-conscious book trading is needed in the first place.

• Why is VLB-TIX launching this offer now?

In 2025, the topic of sustainability was dominated by the bureaucratic implications of the European Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The fact that the European Union removed printed products such as books and magazines from the scope of the Deforestation Regulation at the end of the year should not lead our industry to sit back and relax. Sustainable business practices remain a top priority, and working with VLB-TIX clearly contributes to this. That is why it is important to highlight our joint successes and raise the profile of those involved who are making an important contribution to achieving international climate targets with forward-looking processes.

• How are the savings for an individual bookstore calculated?

We issue the certificate in cooperation with the Organization for Rapid Climate Action gGmbH (ORCA), with whom we have been working since 2022. In the first step, we analyzed the impact of print preview production at publishing houses and published the results per digital preview. The starting point for the second step was the question of how many printed previews our bookstores receive each year. In order to approach an emissions analysis, an average scenario per bookstore was created, taking into account an entire year.

• What conclusion did you come to?

Bookstores that do not use printed previews save an average of 1,601.71 kg CO2e through their commitment. This corresponds to 128 trees that would have to produce vital oxygen to completely offset CO2 emissions. They also save 284.61 kg of paper per year. This is equivalent to one mature spruce tree that does not need to be felled. Through our tree planting initiatives, for which we cooperate with initiative Aktion Baum, we plant a new tree for each tree saved, thereby doubling the positive effect.

• What specific benefits does the bookstore around the corner gain from your campaign?

With objectively proven results, it can position itself as a pioneer, encourage other bookstores to follow suit, and give this important topic the attention it deserves. In addition to MVB's channels, the bookstore's own channels are available for this purpose—notices in the store, social media posts, articles on the website and/or in the newsletter, and, of course, personal conversations. This raises awareness of how changes in everyday (working) life can contribute to achieving climate goals. This applies to its own team and business partners as well as to customers. And through local press relations, the public can also be made more aware of the issue. At the same time, the book trade presents itself as innovative and forward-looking.

• And why is MVB committed to sustainability?

Our goal is to enable sustainable business practices through our platforms by empowering individuals to set up effective and efficient processes for their own businesses. This is not only about saving time and money, but also about conserving valuable resources. In line with best practice principles, we provide a high-profile platform for those who are already making a clear contribution to the sustainability of our industry through their active use of our system.

• What happens next?

Of course, we continuously review our own processes for efficiency and effectiveness in order to be as sustainable as possible. At the same time, we also constantly develop all our services with the aim of freeing up capacity for our customers through new features. With regard to VLB-TIX, our focus is currently on supporting bookstores with a wide range of measures to enable them to dispense with printed previews as quickly as possible – from individual consultations and best practices to training courses.

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