Discover the Penguin books that shaped us

Our recent social impact

At Penguin Random House, we make books for everyone, because a book can change anyone.

For 90 years, we’ve been making great stories and ideas accessible to everyone. This ambition began in 1935 when Penguin founder, Allen Lane, revolutionised publishing by developing the first mass-market paperbacks. His vision was simple but radical: high-quality books should be affordable and available to all.

That belief still drives us today, shaping not only what we publish, but how we operate – championing sustainability, diversity, and social impact to ensure stories can reach and inspire as many people as possible.

In this, our interim Environmental, Social and Governance Report, we reflect on our progress and outline areas of focus for the coming year. We also showcase some of our social impact programmes in more detail to share a deeper insight into how we are working with stakeholders to create positive change.

Our social impact strategy is a journey, not a single destination. The landscape in which we publish books is always changing, so we must change too. As we celebrate 90 years of Penguin, we continue to work towards a more sustainable and inclusive publishing landscape.  A future where books remain an enduring force for positive change, where everyone can become a reader, and where the publishing industry continues to diversify and evolve sustainably in service of readers everywhere.

About Penguin Random House UK

~2,000 colleagues
~1,500 titles published annually
~40m print books sold in UK annually
>100m books sold globally across all formats annually
120 countries where we sell and license books

A note on data

This interim report shares an update on our social impact strategy and activity.

The structure of this year’s report looks different from what we’ve shared previously, as we are between data collection cycles. Our next ESG report, published in 2026, will include comprehensive, updated sets of data related to author diversity, colleague diversity and belonging, pay gap (beyond gender pay gap), and environmental data.

In the meantime, we will continue to fulfil our annual gender pay gap and modern slavery reporting obligations, with reports published on our website. Please see our last ESG Report (published July 2024) for the most recently published data sets.

Our social impact strategy

Our social impact strategy has been in place for almost a decade and focuses on making a meaningful impact on UK communities, the environment, and the future of reading. In that time our programmes have evolved and grown, but four key priorities continue to guide everything we do.

We give everyone equal access to books

We make books for everyone, but the reality is that not everyone has the means or opportunity to read. We’re working to put books into the hands of people and communities who may not otherwise be able to afford or access them.

  • Book donations
  • Accessible formats of books
  • Removing barriers to reading

Supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

We make books for everyone

We believe every reader should find books and authors that speak to them and reflect their life experiences. From our authors and illustrators to our publishing teams, we want to ensure the creators of our books represent the society we live in.

  • Representation in all teams, at all levels
  • A culture of belonging
  • Inclusive publishing

Supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

We create readers of the future

We know that books can change minds and transform futures. By connecting young people to the power of our books and authors, we help them to see the world from many different viewpoints.

  • Promoting reading for pleasure
  • Primary school library provision
  • Supporting students to study writers of colour

Supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

We think and act for the planet

As a publisher, it is vital we innovate to reduce the environmental impact of our operations and work towards our supply chain being as sustainable and ethical as possible. We also aim to create books about the climate and nature emergencies that change minds and behaviours.

  • Journey to net zero
  • Design for the future
  • Sustainable content

Supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

Explore our recent impact stories

Our partners

Access to books

Readers of the future

Books for everyone

Thinking and acting for the planet

Governance

Our commitment to delivering our social impact strategy is built into everything we do. Our CEO and Leadership Team oversee this commitment, ensuring that our efforts in these areas remain a priority across the company. They are supported by colleagues embedded across the business with relevant expertise who advise and inform decision making, as well as a range of colleague networks and forums. 

Several Group functions, including HR, Brand (including Social Impact team), and Publishing Operations play a vital role in delivering our strategy and turning the commitments listed in this interim report into action.

Our Social Impact & Sustainability Steering Committee has strategic oversight and accountability for the strategy. By bringing together key Leadership Team members who lead functions responsible for delivering the strategy, the committee helps align plans and ensures we remain future focused in our approach.

The Inclusion Action Group is central to our inclusion governance. It brings together representatives from our HR team, Leadership Team members who are colleague network sponsors, and Social Impact team, as well as elected members from our colleague-led networks. Network representatives serve on an 18-month paid opportunity, ensuring that colleague perspectives are considered in company-wide decisions.

Penguin Random House UK is owned by Bertelsmann. Their corporate reporting is available to read here.

A Note of Thanks

This report is the result of collaboration, dedication and a shared commitment to making Penguin a more responsible and impactful business. Thank you to all stakeholders who support this ambition – including colleagues, charity partners, and authors.

“We believed in the existence in this country of a vast reading public for intelligent books and a low price and staked everything on it”.

Allen Lane

Lane’s vision reshaped publishing, and we’ll continue to follow his lead by pushing boundaries, challenging norms and driving meaningful change.

Thank you for being part of our journey.