Our Pledges

The Environment

At the heart of Pickering Book Tree is a desire to give back more than we take. As a family business, one of the most important values to us is environmental sustainability. Although we are a little fish, we will do all we can as a small business to have a net positive effect while sharing our passion for books, reading, and nature.

Pledge 1: Support Biodiverse Forests

We pledge to plant at least 1 tree for every 50 books sold. These will be planted through organisations who work with local farmers and conservationists worldwide to choose appropriate trees.

You can read more about this pledge and the paper used in book printing here.

Plus we don't want to forget the conservation of woodland at home. We will donate a 1% share of our profits to The Woodlands Trust to protect and restore UK forests.

After six months of opening we will add a website page detailing how many trees have been planted via the shop so far.

We pledge to donate a share of our profits every year to local and national environmental charities. More on the charities we will support to follow soon.

We will offer the option to round-up purchases to the nearest pound to bolster our efforts, and have plans for a regular raffle with all profits again going to nature based causes.

We will provide breakdowns of exactly how much has been donated on our website. The first update will be published after six months of opening.

Pledge 3: Be Carbon Neutral

We pledge to minimise then offset our carbon footprint. As a new business we do not yet have official accreditation, but we are collecting the evidence required in order to gain official carbon neutral status with The Carbon Trust.

Because our shop is in an old building which needed modernising, we have been able to choose fittings which will minimise our impact. We started from a minimal canvas which meant that we could put our best foot forward. We have opted for energy efficient LED directional lighting, as well as one of the most eco-friendly heating and cooling systems available. These will be powered by electricity from 100% renewable sources through our tariff with SSE.

Pledge 4: Choose Responsibly

We pledge to choose environmentally friendly products and services wherever possible.

This began with the work we've had done in the shop before opening:

The highest standards of energy efficient lighting and heating/cooling powered by 100% renewable electricity.
Walls painted with non-toxic water based paint.
Flooring and bookshelves with excellent environmental credentials, chosen to last the lifetime of the shop (and beyond) with minimal maintenance.
A till built from reclaimed wood.
Pre-loved book tables and seating to furnish the shop.

Pledge 5: Say No To Plastic

We pledge to avoid plastic in our day to day operations wherever possible. Our main wholesaler does not use plastic in packaging, and we won't either!

We will have paper bags available for anyone who needs them, plus book-themed bags for life made from 100% organic FairTrade cotton in designs we hope you'll want to use long-term.

While we will do everything we can to choose plastic-free, in some cases this will not be possible. We will instead try to re-use this plastic, and as a very last resort recycle or dispose of it responsibly.

We pledge to promote, encourage and support a love for nature and sustainability. We believe one of the biggest impacts a bookshop can have is the sharing of books as a force for positive change. We will run some campaigns throughout the year focussed on small ways people can make a difference day to day, and especially on ways to extend the life of books bought from us.

We would love to work with local groups to share campaigns, events, and knowledge. There will be hints of nature around our shop, and we hope that both our passion for books and the natural world will show throughout and inspire others.

Pledge 6: Share Our Enthusiasm

Pickering Book Tree