First Place: The Greening of Harry Potter Campaign won $15,000

Lead Group(s):

Markets Initiative

 

Support Group(s):  

Book publishers, Christopher Little Agency, Greenpeace, Rainforest Alliance

Sorting Hat Photo
© Markets Initiative

Description of the Problem the Campaign is seeking to address (50 word max):

With global paper consumption projected to increase 77% by 2020, shifting major paper consumers to environmentally responsible purchasing practices is key to turning the tide against endangered forest destruction. Intact and endangered forests are key carbon sinks, reservoirs of fresh water and storehouses of global biodiversity.

Description of the Victory (30 word max):

Markets Initiative led and facilitated a global campaign that resulted in the Harry Potter series going green in 15 countries - saving forests and fundamentally changing how publishings done internationally.

A Brief Description of the long-term impact of the victory (150 word max):

The final installment in the Potter series will be the greenest book in publishing history  saving hundreds of thousands of trees and millions of kilograms of greenhouse gases. Five years of work by Markets Initiative is putting tangible environmental solutions into the hands of Potter fans in 15 countries.

But the greening of Potter is bigger than the heroic deeds of our favourite teenage wizard. Markets Initiatives work on greening the Potter series has fundamentally changed the way that book publishers use paper. More than 300 publishers internationally now print on papers that help safeguard endangered forests. A new paper supply chain has been sparked and 35 new eco-friendly papers developed.

This campaign is bigger than saving the cantankerous whomping willow. Its about systemic shifts. It safeguards forests, biodiversity and our climate. Its inspiring a new generation of environmental activists about the potential of magic.