Meet the Team Behind: Better World Books

Better World Books is an online resource for new and used books that supports literacy efforts around the world. They save millions of books from ending up in landfills, and instead divert them to communities who need the educational support. Learn more about their work here! 

Can you tell me about the need for your work? 

Better World Books is a socially conscious bookseller that combines sustainability with global literacy efforts. We collect used books via library partnerships and drop boxes, diverting millions of books from landfills. Through reuse and recycling efforts, we save books and get them into the hands of children and adults who need them. Every purchase on our website supports book donations and worldwide literacy efforts. Our goal is to use books as a method to empower communities and promote a circular economy. 

What do your sustainability efforts entail? 

We continuously innovate and work to implement projects that promote energy efficiency, reduce waste, and foster a greener environment. Our environmental projects align with our mission to minimize waste and promote a circular economy. We’ve reused over 475 million books, keeping them out of landfills and promoting literacy. Our facilities use fully recyclable packaging materials, motion-sensor lighting, and reuse materials whenever possible. 

What role does the community play in your work? 

Community outreach is a pillar of our work— we want literacy and environmental awareness to reach every corner of the world. The books we donate help promote literacy in areas that need it most, and we work with communities to identify where our books will have the greatest impact. We offer paid volunteer time off for our staff members, enabling employees to work in food banks, schools, and animal shelters to support the broader community. Employee engagement and community involvement are key to our culture.

How can individuals get involved in your work? 

Every time you purchase a book from BetterWorldBooks.com, you help us donate books to people that need it. The books we donate go through hundreds of non-profit organizations. Our customers have helped make it possible for Better World Books to have donated over 38 million books. Our annual literacy grants fund literacy and educational nonprofits and libraries for specific projects, and we are frequently in need of donors to support these grants. We also partner with organizations to help them fundraise for programs that support literacy, and customers can choose to donate to these projects when they checkout on our website.