Final Harry Potter novel goes green

The hero of the Harry Potter franchise may be doomed in the seventh and final novel in the series authored by J.K. Rowling, but that doesn't mean that the world's forests are. U.S. publisher Scholastic Inc. has announced that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which is already receiving a record printing, will be sparing the environment as it brings to an end one of the most popular book franchises in history.

With 12 million copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows being ordered for the first U.S. printing, a record-breaking number, Scholastic has announced that the paper used in the printing will come from well managed forests, according to Reuters. While the publication of the 784-page Harry Potter finale will require nearly 22 million pounds of paper, Scholastic has collaborated with the Rainforest Alliance to ensure that 65 percent of the paper used will be Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper. That means that 10,855 tons of the total 16,700 tons of paper used will come from forests that are socially and environmentally managed.
While the 12 million copies coming in the first printing is a notable record, the massive purchase of FSC-certified paper is the largest ever used in a single printing. As Kyle Good, Vice President of corporate communications for Scholastic said, "It's a really big step for the publishing industry to have a book this size and this number, this sheer volume of pages and print to be able to be on FSC-certified paper."
Along with the use of FSC-certified paper, the agreement between Scholastic and the Rainforest Alliance ensured that a minimum of 30% post-consumer waste fiber would be used in the printing, and that the "deluxe" edition of the new book, which will see a first printing of 100,000 copies, will be printed on paper that is 100% post-consumer waste fiber. The announcement comes after the criticism Scholastic faced from Greenpeace over the printing of the last Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Greenpeace claimed the initial 10.8 million copy first printing of Half-Blood Prince used nearly 220,000 mature trees, and that prompted boycott calls from the environmental organization. Greenpeace had urged fans to buy the novel from the Canadian publisher, Raincoast Books, which used 100% recycled paper.
The Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final adventure of Harry Potter is set to be released on July 21 with different cover illustrations for adults and child, according to The Guardian. Publishers hope that The Deathly Hallows will break the record set by Half Blood Prince, which say close to seven million copies sold in the United States in the first 24 hours, making it the fastest-selling book in history. That record seems to be in jeopardy from The Deathly Hallows, as the children's edition is already ranked second in preorders on Amazon.co.uk, behind the adult version of the novel.
The July 21 release date for the seventh and final book is just eight days after the July 13 release date set for the fifth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The films, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, are still trying to secure Emma Watson in the role of Hermione Granger for the sixth and seventh movies.