The feel good place to buy books
Our Impact Story
Social and Environmental Impact Report
Financial Year 2024
The feel good place to buy books
MAKING A
DIFFERENCE, together
We’re excited to share with you the incredible journey we’ve had over the past year, and most importantly, the difference YOU have made!
At World of Books, we’re not just about offering you fantastic preloved books; we’re all about making a lasting, positive impact on the planet and in communities across the world.
Whether it’s giving a second life to books, reducing waste, or supporting worthy causes, every page turned and every book bought helps us take a step towards a better future. So grab a cup of tea (or coffee, if that’s more your thing!) and dive into how we’re working together to create something truly special.
Ready? Let’s get started!
Our mission
To become the world’s largest and most sustainable online bookstore, dedicated to helping you read more and waste less. We’re committed to delivering the books you love while creating a positive impact on the planet.
We’re now all under one big, easy-to-remember global brand: World of Books! 1 million donations!
s avedfrom be 137,000
£116,000 paid out
book s to charities through the World of Books Foundation (in total since scheme began)
“pulp e d ”
50k+ authors supported 31.4 million books rehomed last year That’s the equivalent of 225,342 trees saved
£201k paid out to authors (in total since scheme began)
The impact of rehoming books
31,439,136 books rehomed...
...which is the equivalent of 225,342 trees saved...
...that’s more than 600 trees saved every day!...
…and over 13,000 tonnes of books diverted from waste
Environment
New books, sustainable impact
We’ve saved 137,000 books from being “pulped” – that means they were on their way to being thrown away and turned into paper waste instead of being reused. We’ve saved these books by working with publishers to handle more than 50 end-of-life stock orders. These are books that might not sell anymore, but instead of tossing them, we gave them a second chance!
On top of that, we’re teaming up with two big distributors to try out a new project that could change how the publishing world handles books that are damaged or in excess.
By selling new books, we’re able to be a one-stop shop for all things books! You can buy secondhand, of course, but if it’s only available brand new then no worries – you can still buy from us. You can even sell it back to us when you’re done, giving the book a second life. It’s a win for readers, books, and the planet!
We responsibly recycle can’t rehome. This 22,482 tonnes them out of landfill a second
We rehomed almost 4 million DVDs, CDs and games.
We bought over DVDs, CDs and charities and businesses, a second life. That’s circular
13,000 books waste
recycle any books we This year, we recycled tonnes of books, keeping landfill and giving them second chance.
488.71 tCO2e 349.71 tCO2e almost CDs
That’s 439 tonnes of media diverted from waste!
over 35 million books, games from customers, businesses, giving them
That’s the magic of the circular economy!
Carbon Footprint FY24
84,820 tCO2e
TOTAL CARBON EMISSIONS
83,980 tCO2e
3 2 1
Taking action on our carbon footprint
Compared to last year’s carbon footprint of 38,961 tCO2e, our emissions have gone up a bit. This is due to a few factors: we’ve grown as a business, and we’ve also improved the accuracy of our data and refined how we track our activities to provide more detailed reporting.
The good news?
It will start coming down as we work towards Net Zero! Accurately tracking our carbon footprint is a positive step, helping us understand the impact we’re having. And the best part? We already offset all our direct emissions (that’s scopes 1 & 2), making us certified carbon neutral. We’re always looking for ways to reduce our carbon emissions even more and keep improving!
Scope Key
One million books donated!
We’ve officially donated 1 million books to worthy causes around the world! That’s 1,016,867 books to be exact. Back in 2018, we set ourselves the goal of hitting this huge target by 2025 and we smashed it a whole year early! Yes we’re pretty awesome, but beyond the numbers, this milestone means so much more. It’s about the positive impact we’re having on communities around the world. More children now have access to books and underserved communities are benefiting from the power of reading. And we’re not stopping here! We’ll keep donating books to worthy causes, because every book can make a world of difference.
Total organisations supported: 290
Through our donations, we support a variety of organisations, including:
Schools/nurseries/colleges
Libraries
Prisons & police custody suites
Hospitals
Refuge centres
Charities
Art projects
Our biggest donations throughout the years… Books2Africa: 370,000
Book Cycle: 313,384
Own Books: 129,550
Sussex 2 Africa: 97,300
“ Several parents have said that the Own Books Library is the reason that their children have developed a love of reading. Our reading progression score between KS1 and KS2 put us in the top 10% of schools for 2021-22 and a number of the children in that class developed their love of reading from having access to high-quality texts provided by Own Books.
Thank you World of Books for all that you do to help Own Books – we love you for it and so do all our schools!”
Alison, Own Books
The World of Books Foundation
Thanks to our very own independent charity, The World of Books Foundation, we’re able to provide financial support to amazing organisations that champion literacy and the circular economy. Since launching in 2022, we’ve already supported 11 charities across the UK and US, contributing a total of £116k. Last year alone, we went above and beyond, donating more than £60k to these incredible causes. We’re proud of the difference we’re making together!
Charities supported in 2024:
Schoolreaders
Give a Book
First Story
AuthorSHARE
The Elizabeth Foundation Arvon Foundation Children’s BookFest
Our AuthorSHARE initiative has always been about supporting authors every step of the way! This scheme means we’ve been able to pay authors royalties on the sale of secondhand books. A brand-new book might be sold once, but its story can live on with many readers. After all, a story doesn’t change just because it’s been read before!
While we’re proud of the impact we’ve made, we’re always striving for better, and this is just the beginning of how we’ll continue to support authors in new and exciting ways.
Number of authors supported:
50,000+
Total amount we’ve paid out since the scheme began: £201,000
Communities
Shopiago
Soon to be World of Books Ecommerce!
“ You don’t want to rock the boat by bringing in new technology that feels too complicated for the shops. But Shopiago was so simple – just plug it in, set it up, and you’re good to go. Scan your book, it’s in your basket, ship it out, and you’ve made £20. Done.”
Jessica Wright, Retail Support Coordinator
St Elizabeth Hospices
Through Shopiago we help charities and businesses to grow their sales of new and preloved items online.
To date, more than 9 million books, DVDs, CDs and games were traded in by charities for instant cash.
Over £10K given away in prizes and donations through competitions to help our charity partners in raising funds for their causes.
Our partners see up to 10x more revenue compared to standard collection services. It’s a win-win: better for the environment, and better for charities and businesses’ bottom line.
“ We see Shopiago as a great opportunity for us to make use of stock that otherwise would have probably gone to recycling.”
Gerry Weetman, Head of Retail Butterwick Hospice
Over £84 million raised for UK charities using our technology since Shopiago was established.
Communities
Carbon Literacy
Thanks to The Carbon Literacy Project, we’re now qualified to deliver our own Carbon Literacy Training. At the end of 2024, we delivered the first Carbon Literacy training sessions to 10 team members across the business and we’re really excited for more team members to get involved and get certified going forward! Carbon Literacy is crucial to understanding how our actions impact the planet, while also encouraging us to take action. This is at the forefront of what we do as a circular economy business.
“I’ve been really proud to take the lead on our Carbon Literacy journey – bringing people from all functions together to collaborate and take action has been a real highlight of my time with impact.”
Catherine Bleach Impact Co-ordinator
Our People
Diversity is at our core – 63% of our team identify as non-UK nationals.
We offer internal training to support and develop leaders through our Leadership Pathways program, where 65% of participants are male and 35% are female.
Gender Pay Gap Overview
Our employees are paid through two entities: WoB Limited and WoB Group. Here’s how the gender pay gaps compare:
WoB Limited: WoB Group:
Women’s median hourly pay was 0.5% lower than men’s
Women’s mean hourly pay was 0.4% higher than men’s
Listening to our team – Regular eNPS surveys help us check in with employees.
Women’s median hourly pay was 1.8% lower than men’s
Women’s mean hourly pay was 18.8% lower than men’s
The small median pay gap reflects overall pay equity at typical salary levels, but the larger mean gap in WoB Group highlights that more men hold senior or higherpaid roles. We are committed to improving pay equity across our business and will continue to track, report, and take meaningful action to drive change.
“The books are cheaper, in good condition, shipping is quick and it’s more sustainable.”
Daniela, 5 stars
“Great quality books for a fraction of the price! An incredibly sustainable way to purchase books and all arrived super quickly, beyond impressed!”
Our Customers
Pippa, 5 stars
Single Global Brand
We have unified our consumerfacing brands into one – World of Books – simplifying buying and selling while reinforcing our circular economy mission. This means a simpler, clearer experience for our awesome customers, who can now do it all with World of Books! The final step in this journey is rebranding our charity-focused brand, Shopiago – and that’s happening very soon!
Shortlisted for the British Book Awards!
Last year marked the first time EVER that preloved booksellers were nominated for Retailer of the Year at the British Book Awards. You guessed it – we were one of them! This milestone shines a spotlight on the growing secondhand book market and the incredible benefits it brings – not just to readers, but to the planet as well.
OUR NEXT Chapter
Net Zero
With the help of global sustainability consultancy, Anthesis, we’re mapping out a clear Net Zero Roadmap and identifying key steps to cut our emissions. Regular check-ins with our consultants will keep us on track and help us adjust as needed to hit our goals.
ED&I
We’ve recently certified as an Includability Committed Employer, proving our dedication to inclusivity, wellbeing, and sustainability. We’re excited to use this to better engage our people and to help us make World of Books an even greater place to work!
Sustainable Procurement
As is the case with most companies, our scope 3 emissions (emissions from our supply chain) make up the bulk of our footprint. We’re focused on working closely with suppliers to cut emissions together and raise awareness across the industry.
B Corp Recertification
Our original recertification deadline was March 2026, but with new standards launching this summer, we’re submitting a bit later. We’re excited for the challenge and eager to see our UK, US, and Hungary teams collaborate to ensure our practices stay true to our values. B Corp keeps us accountable and continually pushes us to improve!
New EMS Framework
We will be launching our Environmental Management System Policy to guide our environmental actions and accountability, aligning with ISO 14001 (an international standard that helps organisations manage their environmental impact).
It’s a solid foundation for future progress as we continue to grow.
“This past year, it has been amazing to collaborate with a wider, global team on all things Impact. From carbon reporting and Net Zero workshops to B Corp improvements, I’ve seen enthusiasm and dedication from everyone in the UK, US, and Hungary. Our commitment to being a business for good has become even more focused as we embrace new opportunities to be the planet’s bookstore. I’m excited to see how far we can go in driving global impact!”
Hannah Clevett Impact Manager
“As we reflect on another year of growth and impact, I am grateful to our customers who make a sustainable choice when they purchase from World of Books. We’re committed to making this choice as easy as possible, by working with our valued suppliers – from global charities to individuals – to offer the widest range of books at prices that allow readers to read more. Thank you for being part of the World of Books story!”
Dan Mucha CEO