NEW YORK, N.Y. — Simon & Schuster plans to increase the recycled fiber content in the books it prints in the U.S. by 150 percent by 2012.

The move is part of an environmental initiative announced this week that will impact the 70,000 tons of paper the publisher buys each year. The publisher's current baseline is 10 percent for recycled content but that will increase to 25 percent or more during the next four years.

During that time, the company wants at least 10 percent of its paper to come from forests that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. It plans to eliminate the use of paper with fiber from endangered or old-growth forests.

The company expects by the end of this year, it will have bought 1.2 million shipping cartons made from 100 percent recycled post-consumer paper. It plans to use recycled office materials and recycle all inventory destruction as mixed-use paper.

"We look forward to working with our vendors and partners in the supply chain, and our colleagues at other publishing houses and in other industries to create a robust marketplace for recycled fiber, to encourage responsible forest management practices, and to continue to find ways in which we can have a positive impact on the environment," said Carolyn Reidy, incoming president and CEO.