Happy Earth Day from VitalSource! 

Today, we proudly reaffirm our commitment to environmental sustainability, not just in words, but in measurable action. As a digital-first company, we’ve long known that our approach to course material delivery is less emissive than traditional print. But in recent years, we’ve taken that a step further by leading the EdTech industry by becoming experts in our own carbon footprint and creating tools to help our partners do the same. 

Leading by Example: Carbon Neutral Operations 

In 2023, VitalSource took a significant step forward by achieving carbon neutrality across our business operations. By partnering with sustainability intelligence leader Watershed, we meticulously measured emissions across all our major activities—including cloud infrastructure, business travel, and energy use in both offices and remote work environments. 

Armed with this data, we began reducing emissions where we could, such as sourcing 100% renewable energy for our electricity needs, and offsetting the rest by investing in verified carbon avoidance and removal projects. 

One standout initiative is our investment in the Big Coast Forest Climate Initiative, which protects thousands of hectares of forest in coastal British Columbia, helping preserve vital carbon sinks. 

Introducing Planet Smart: The First Carbon Neutral Course Materials Program

In 2023, we also launched Planet Smart, the industry’s first carbon neutral course materials program. Designed to align with the values of students and institutions alike, Planet Smart makes sustainability a built-in feature of VitalSource’s offerings. 

Every flat-rate access program powered by VitalSource are now automatically enrolled in Planet Smart. That means every digital learning experience delivered through these programs is fully carbon neutral.

A Use Case in Action: The Cornell Store 

One of our earliest and most engaged partners in Planet Smart has been The Cornell Store. In fact, their Fall 2022 data helped us produce our very first carbon emissions report, making that academic term the first carbon neutral course materials program in the market. 

Thanks to their collaboration and feedback, we’ve now embedded sustainability reporting into our business intelligence tools—making it possible to automatically measure and report environmental impact. Here’s what we’ve learned: 

• A print book emits an average of 4.1 kg CO₂e per unit. 

• A digital eText? Just 0.089 kg CO₂e—46 times less than print! 

• A student using 13 eTexts per year emits just slightly more CO₂ over four years than a single print book. 

Let’s put it another way: a print-based college education would require a tree seven years to offset its emissions. A fully digital education? Just 56 days. 

Real Impact, Measured and Offset 

Since joining Planet Smart in the second half of 2022, The Cornell Store has helped avoid over 950 tonnes of CO₂e emissions—the equivalent of taking 207 cars off the road for a year. In 2024, their program generated 117 tonnes of emissions through content use—emissions that VitalSource has fully offset through investments in projects like Big Coast. 

We’re proud to share this level of transparency and to support our partners with robust, accessible sustainability reporting, coming soon to all our North American clients. 

What’s Next? 

VitalSource’s dedication to environmental leadership isn’t slowing down. In the coming months, we’ll be rolling out enhanced sustainability reporting tools to help our partner institutions better track, understand, and share their own progress in reducing emissions through digital learning. 

We believe sustainability is a shared journey. Our role is not only to lead—but to equip our partners with the tools they need to do the same. 

Want to understand your institution’s sustainability and accessibility footprint? Reach out to your VitalSource representative to learn more about how Planet Smart and our reporting tools can help you measure and reduce your impact—while expanding access to learning for all. 

🌱 Happy Earth Day. Let’s make learning greener—and more accessible—together.