Introduction to BIC’s Leadership Initiatives

BIC’s Committees (Green, Physical, Digital, Metadata, and Libraries), are all about improving processes, creating and advising on standards and best practices and have green woven through their agendas. Better efficiencies and eliminating waste are at the core of becoming more sustainable.

Some examples include:

Metadata Capabilities Directory

BIC’s Metadata Capabilities Directory (MCD), a new platform powered by BIC members, enabling participants to share information with each other about their own use of metadata within the supply chain. The MCD has been created as part of BIC’s Metadata Map project. Metadata underpins our digital age. It drives discoverability and sales, and therefore demands careful attention in terms of its initial creation, dissemination and ongoing maintenance.  Better use of metadata is critical to a more efficient and consequently greener supply chain as it can help minimise returns ensuring correct deliveries whilst enhancing targeted discoverability and sales of product. 

Follow #bettermetadata to stay up to date with developments.


Green BIC Brunches

Given that BIC is the dedicated book industry supply chain organisation in the UK, the environment is naturally high on our priorities.  BIC holds online BIC Green Brunches specifically created to explore key areas of the book supply chain that can and do impact on our planet’s environmental health.  Each BIC Green Brunch is dedicated to one key area and the series as a whole is intended to join the book industry supply chain together in one place – exploring and inspiring change in response to environmental challenges.

View recordings of previous BIC Green Brunches.

BIC Events Calendar

Follow #greenbicbrunches to stay up to date with developments. 


BIC’s Industry Returns Initiative

BIC’s Industry Returns Initiative (IRI) offers a solution to taking much of the cost out of managing returns. This is a critical area where the book industry can be greener by minimising returns and the operational effort involved. BIC’s IRI Rulebook was reviewed and refreshed in June 2022. Find out more below:

Industry Returns Initiative


BIC Realtime

BIC Realtime is a system that helps with reducing miscommunication, getting orders right the first time, enabling efficient order cancellations (reducing returns), and eliminating waste all of which helps to minimise an organisation’s carbon footprint. It establishes a set of standard messages to enable computers to communicate with each other via the internet in real time requesting product information and receiving an immediate response. This is for virtually all book businesses which hold databases of information (e.g. distributors, wholesalers and data providers) which could be of use to their trading partners (e.g. booksellers). Using XML communication over the Internet, businesses can communicate much more quickly, obtaining real time replies to their requests. This standard is recommended by BIC as the best way to implement these new messages between book businesses. Find out more below.

BIC Realtime


Green mailing list 

BIC has a mailing list specifically for individuals and organisations that are concerned about the green issues the book industry is facing right now. BIC Members and non-members alike are invited to join this mailing list to receive BIC’s email campaigns concerning green supply chain news.

Join our mailing lists


BIC’s annual seminar at London Book Fair

Every year BIC holds a session at LBF on supply chain sustainability. Please refer to the LBF hub page for the upcoming session.