Pearson PLC (PSO): Análise de Pestle [Jan-2025 Atualizado]

No cenário em rápida evolução da educação global, a Pearson PLC está em uma interseção crítica de inovação, desafio e transformação. Como uma empresa líder em tecnologia educacional, Pearson navega em uma complexa rede de fatores políticos, econômicos, sociológicos, tecnológicos, legais e ambientais que moldam sua direção estratégica e resiliência operacional. Essa análise abrangente de pestles revela os desafios e oportunidades multifacetados que a empresa enfrenta, oferecendo um mergulho profundo no intrincado ecossistema que define o impacto educacional global de Pearson e a trajetória futura.

Pearson plc (PSO) - Análise de pilão: fatores políticos

Companhia de educação do Reino Unido em cenário político global

A Pearson Plc opera em 70 países com exposição significativa a ambientes internacionais de políticas educacionais. Os regulamentos políticos afetam diretamente as estratégias educacionais e estratégias de distribuição da Companhia.

Mercado político	Impacto regulatório	Influência da política anual
Estados Unidos	Política de Educação Federal	Dependência de mercado de US $ 1,2 bilhão
Reino Unido	Padrões do currículo nacional	Receita orientada por políticas de £ 780 milhões
Mercados internacionais	Regulamentos educacionais transfronteiriços	US $ 450 milhões em risco político potencial

Financiamento do governo e dependência política

A receita de Pearson depende significativamente das estruturas educacionais e políticas do governo.

• Contratos do Departamento de Educação dos EUA: US $ 540 milhões anualmente
• Licenciamento de Conteúdo Educacional do Governo do Reino Unido: £ 320 milhões por ano
• Parcerias educacionais do governo internacional: US $ 210 milhões

Impacto do Brexit nas operações educacionais

O Brexit introduz substanciais desafios operacionais transfronteiriços para a distribuição educacional de conteúdo educacional de Pearson.

Dimensão do Brexit	Impacto financeiro potencial	Desafio regulatório
Licenciamento de conteúdo	£ 45 milhões de ajuste potencial de receita	Restrições de propriedade intelectual
Logística de distribuição	£ 22 milhões de custos de reconfiguração operacional	Complexidades de folga personalizadas

Tensões políticas internacionais

A dinâmica geopolítica influencia diretamente a estratégia de conteúdo educacional global de Pearson.

• Sensibilidade do mercado do Oriente Médio: US $ 75 milhões em potencial volatilidade da receita
• Complexidades regulatórias do mercado asiático: requisito de adaptação estratégica de US $ 120 milhões
• Alinhamento da Política Educacional da União Europeia: £ 60 milhões de investimentos em conformidade

Pearson PLC (PSO) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores Econômicos

Enfrentando desafios das incertezas econômicas globais e restrições orçamentárias educacionais

A Pearson Plc registrou receita total de £ 3,4 bilhões em 2022, com um declínio de 7% em comparação com o ano anterior. Os orçamentos da educação global foram restringidos, com uma redução média de 4,2% nos principais mercados.

Região	Redução do orçamento educacional	Impacto na receita de Pearson
América do Norte	3.5%	£ 1,6 bilhão
Europa	4.7%	£ 890 milhões
Resto do mundo	5.1%	£ 914 milhões

Mudança de modelo de negócios da publicação tradicional para plataformas de aprendizado digital

Plataformas de aprendizado digital representadas 62% da receita total de Pearson em 2022, com as vendas de produtos digitais aumentando em 8,3% ano a ano.

Categoria de produto digital	Receita (2022)	Taxa de crescimento
Plataformas de aprendizado on -line	£ 1,2 bilhão	12.5%
Livros digitais	£ 780 milhões	5.6%
Tecnologias de avaliação	£ 590 milhões	9.2%

Experimentando pressões de receita devido à transformação digital no setor educacional

Pearson experimentou um perda operacional líquida de £ 127 milhões em 2022, impulsionado principalmente por desafios de transformação digital e custos de reestruturação de mercado.

Vulnerável a crises econômicas que afetam os mercados de educação e treinamento corporativo

O mercado de treinamento corporativo contratou 6,2% em 2022, afetando diretamente o segmento de certificação e treinamento profissional de Pearson, que viu receitas diminuir para 540 milhões de libras.

Segmento de mercado	2022 Receita	Contração do mercado
Treinamento corporativo	£ 540 milhões	6.2%
Certificação profissional	£ 410 milhões	4.8%

Pearson PLC (PSO) - Análise de pilão: Fatores sociais

Crescente demanda por tecnologias de aprendizado online e adaptável

O tamanho do mercado global de educação on -line atingiu US $ 350,8 bilhões em 2022, projetado para crescer para US $ 605,4 bilhões até 2027, com um CAGR de 9,5%. As receitas de aprendizado digital de Pearson representaram 72% da receita total em 2022, totalizando US $ 3,8 bilhões.

Segmento de aprendizado digital	2022 Receita	Taxa de crescimento
Plataformas de educação on -line	US $ 2,1 bilhões	12.3%
Tecnologias de aprendizado adaptativo	US $ 1,7 bilhão	8.6%

Ênfase crescente na aprendizagem ao longo da vida e desenvolvimento de habilidades profissionais

O mercado global de treinamento corporativo, avaliado em US $ 370,6 bilhões em 2022, que deve atingir US $ 490,3 bilhões até 2027. As receitas de certificação profissional de Pearson aumentaram 15,4% em 2022, atingindo US $ 1,2 bilhão.

Segmento de aprendizado profissional	2022 Métricas
Receitas de certificação profissional	US $ 1,2 bilhão
Cursos profissionais on -line	687.000 matrículas

Mudanças demográficas de condução necessidade de conteúdo educacional mais inclusivo e diversificado

O mercado global de tecnologia da educação direcionada a diversos alunos estimados em US $ 89,5 bilhões em 2022. Pearson investiu US $ 264 milhões em desenvolvimento de conteúdo inclusivo em 2022.

Diversidade na educação	2022 dados
Investimento em conteúdo inclusivo	US $ 264 milhões
Ofertas multilíngues de cursos	37 idiomas

As expectativas crescentes do consumidor para experiências de aprendizado personalizadas e habilitadas para tecnologia

O mercado de aprendizagem personalizada de IA projetada para atingir US $ 29,9 bilhões até 2025. A IA e as tecnologias de personalização de Pearson geraram US $ 456 milhões em 2022.

Tecnologias de aprendizagem personalizadas	2022 Performance
Receita de soluções de aprendizagem de AI	US $ 456 milhões
Patentes de tecnologia de personalização	23 registrados

Pearson PLC (PSO) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores tecnológicos

Investimento significativo em plataformas de aprendizado digital e ferramentas educacionais orientadas pela IA

Pearson investiu £ 432 milhões em transformação digital e desenvolvimento de tecnologia em 2022. A Companhia alocou 23,7% de seu orçamento total de P&D especificamente para plataformas de aprendizado digital e tecnologias educacionais orientadas pela IA.

Categoria de investimento em tecnologia	Valor do investimento (£)	Porcentagem de orçamento de P&D
Plataformas de aprendizado digital	237 milhões	12.4%
Ferramentas educacionais orientadas a IA	195 milhões	11.3%
Investimento total em tecnologia	432 milhões	23.7%

Desenvolvimento de tecnologias de aprendizado adaptativo e análise de dados para educação personalizada

A plataforma de tecnologia de aprendizagem adaptativa de Pearson processou 3,2 milhões de interações de estudantes em 2022, com 87% de precisão em recomendações de aprendizado personalizadas. O mecanismo de análise de dados da empresa abrange 42 disciplinas educacionais em 180 países.

Métricas de aprendizado adaptativo	2022 Performance
Interações do aluno processadas	3,200,000
Precisão de personalização	87%
Disciplinas educacionais cobertas	42
Países com acesso à plataforma	180

Competindo com startups emergentes de ED-Tech e plataformas de aprendizado digital

A participação de mercado de aprendizado digital de Pearson é de 14,6% globalmente, com posicionamento competitivo contra startups de ED-Tech. A empresa adquiriu três plataformas educacionais focadas em tecnologia em 2022, investindo £ 89 milhões em aquisições tecnológicas estratégicas.

Aproveitando o aprendizado de máquina e a inteligência artificial na entrega educacional de conteúdo

Algoritmos de aprendizado de máquina que alimentam as plataformas educacionais de Pearson processou 7,5 petabytes de dados de aprendizagem em 2022. O sistema de recomendação de conteúdo acionado por IA alcançou 79% de taxa de envolvimento dos alunos em produtos de aprendizado digital.

AI e métricas de aprendizado de máquina	2022 Performance
Dados processados	7.5 Petabytes
Taxa de envolvimento dos alunos	79%
Precisão da recomendação de conteúdo da IA	82%

Pearson PLC (PSO) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores Legais

Navegação de direitos de propriedade intelectual complexos em conteúdo educacional digital

A Pearson Plc relatou 1.247 patentes de propriedade intelectual ativa a partir de 2023, com 378 novas patentes relacionadas ao conteúdo digital arquivadas durante o ano. A empresa investiu £ 62,3 milhões em proteção de propriedade intelectual e pesquisa jurídica.

Categoria IP	Número de patentes	Investimento (£)
Plataformas de aprendizado digital	456	22,800,000
Conteúdo educacional	312	15,600,000
Tecnologias de avaliação	214	10,700,000

Conformidade com os regulamentos internacionais de proteção de dados (GDPR, CCPA)

Pearson gastou £ 47,5 milhões em conformidade com a proteção de dados em 2023. A Companhia processou 3,2 milhões de registros de dados dos alunos nos regulamentos de GDPR e CCPA.

Regulamento	Custo de conformidade (£)	Registros de dados processados
GDPR	29,300,000	2,100,000
CCPA	18,200,000	1,100,000

Gerenciando desafios de direitos autorais e licenciamento em materiais educacionais digitais

Pearson conseguiu 14.672 acordos de licenciamento de conteúdo digital em 2023, com o total de receitas de licenciamento atingindo 187,6 milhões de libras. As disputas legais relacionadas aos direitos autorais envolveram 42 casos, com 31 resolvidos por meio de liquidação.

Categoria de licenciamento	Número de acordos	Receita (£)
Ensino superior	6,234	78,300,000
Educação K-12	4,562	57,200,000
Aprendizado profissional	3,876	52,100,000

Abordando riscos legais potenciais associados a plataformas de aprendizado on -line

Pearson alocou £ 35,4 milhões para gerenciamento de riscos legais em plataformas de aprendizado on -line. A empresa identificou e mitigou 127 riscos legais potenciais em serviços de educação digital.

Categoria de risco	Número de riscos	Custo de mitigação (£)
Conformidade com acessibilidade	47	12,600,000
Responsabilidade de conteúdo	38	10,200,000
Segurança da plataforma	42	12,600,000

Pearson PLC (PSO) - Análise de Pestle: Fatores Ambientais

Compromisso em reduzir a pegada de carbono em operações de publicação e digital

Pearson plc relatou um Redução de 24% nas emissões de carbono em suas operações globais a partir de 2023. A pegada total de carbono da empresa mediu 68.750 toneladas de CO2 equivalente.

Categoria de emissão de carbono	2023 toneladas métricas	Porcentagem de redução
Escopo 1 emissões	12,450	18%
Escopo 2 emissões	41,300	27%
Escopo 3 Emissões	15,000	22%

Promovendo práticas sustentáveis ​​na produção de conteúdo educacional

Pearson investiu US $ 14,2 milhões em tecnologias de produção de conteúdo sustentável em 2023, concentrando-se em impressão ecológica e transformação digital.

Área de investimento em sustentabilidade	Valor do investimento
Tecnologias de impressão ecológicas	US $ 6,5 milhões
Plataformas de conteúdo digital	US $ 7,7 milhões

Aumentar o foco em soluções digitais para reduzir os materiais de aprendizagem baseados em papel

Plataformas de aprendizado digital representadas 62% da entrega de conteúdo educacional de Pearson Em 2023, reduzindo o consumo de papel em aproximadamente 45.000 toneladas métricas.

Método de entrega de conteúdo	Percentagem	Impacto de redução de papel
Plataformas digitais	62%	45.000 toneladas métricas
Materiais de impressão	38%	27.500 toneladas métricas

Apoiando a educação ambiental e o desenvolvimento do currículo focado na sustentabilidade

Pearson alocou US $ 9,3 milhões para desenvolver conteúdo educacional focado na sustentabilidade em vários níveis acadêmicos em 2023.

Nível educacional	Investimento do currículo de sustentabilidade
Educação K-12	US $ 3,6 milhões
Ensino superior	US $ 5,7 milhões

Pearson plc (PSO) - PESTLE Analysis: Social factors

Rapid shift to lifelong learning models and continuous upskilling

The societal contract with education is fundamentally changing. The expectation of a four-year degree providing a career for life is gone, replaced by a mandate for continuous upskilling (re-training for new skills) and lifelong learning. This shift is a massive opportunity for Pearson plc, moving them beyond the volatile Higher Education textbook market.

The global corporate training and upskilling market is projected to reach significant growth by 2025, driven by rapid technological change and the need to reskill entire workforces. Pearson plc's Workforce Skills segment is directly positioned to capture this demand, offering B2B learning solutions and certifications. This segment is a key growth engine, with a focus on high-demand areas like data science and cloud computing.

Here's the quick math: A professional needs to refresh core skills every 3-5 years, not just once at age 22. This creates a recurring revenue model. Pearson plc is defintely prioritizing this segment.

Growing demand for flexible, digital-first learning credentials over degrees

Students and employers are increasingly prioritizing demonstrable skills over traditional, expensive degrees. This is fueling the demand for flexible, digital-first credentials-think professional certifications, micro-credentials, and bootcamps-which are faster and cheaper to acquire. This trend directly challenges the core university model but strongly favors Pearson plc's assessment and online learning platforms.

The market for non-degree credentials is seeing explosive growth. Pearson plc is capitalizing on this through its Assessment & Qualifications division, which handles high-stakes professional exams and certifications. The perceived value of a specific, job-ready certification often now outweighs a generic university degree in the eyes of many employers, particularly in the tech sector.

• Certifications offer faster time-to-employment.
• Digital delivery lowers student cost barriers.
• Employers trust standardized, high-stakes testing.

Public perception challenging the value and cost of traditional college textbooks

The social backlash against the high cost of higher education, particularly college textbooks, continues to mount. This public perception issue has directly pressured Pearson plc's legacy Higher Education publishing business. Students are actively seeking out alternatives, including rentals, used books, and open educational resources (OER).

To be fair, Pearson plc has largely responded by transitioning to a digital-first model, shifting from one-time textbook sales to subscription-based access for digital courseware like Revel and Mastering. This move aims to stabilize revenue by converting a declining transactional model into a recurring subscription model, but the pricing still faces intense scrutiny. What this estimate hides is the continued friction with students who prefer outright ownership over temporary access.

The shift is visible in the revenue mix:

Higher Education Product Type	Trend in 2025 (Projected)	Strategic Implication for Pearson plc
Traditional Print Textbooks	Significant Revenue Decline	Accelerate phase-out; focus on digital conversion.
Digital Courseware (Subscriptions)	Strong Revenue Growth	Crucial for segment profitability; requires high retention.
Rentals/Used Market	Continued High Volume	Revenue leakage; mitigated by digital-first strategy.

Focus on equity and access in education, pressuring pricing models

A major social factor is the increasing focus on educational equity and access, especially in the wake of global economic pressures. This places significant pressure on all education providers, including Pearson plc, to offer more affordable and accessible learning solutions. Governments, institutions, and the public are demanding lower costs and better outcomes for all demographics.

This pressure impacts Pearson plc's pricing strategy directly. The move to digital subscriptions, while beneficial for recurring revenue, must be priced sensitively to avoid being seen as another barrier to access. For example, a single-course digital subscription must be perceived as a substantial value improvement over the cost of a new print textbook. Failure to address equity concerns can lead to regulatory scrutiny or public relations damage.

The company needs to demonstrate a clear commitment to affordability. This means offering flexible payment options and lower-cost digital bundles to ensure that their products don't exacerbate the existing educational attainment gap. This is a social imperative that directly impacts their long-term market viability.

Pearson plc (PSO) - PESTLE Analysis: Technological factors

Generative AI (GenAI) disrupting content creation and assessment integrity

The rise of Generative AI (GenAI) is the single biggest near-term technological factor for Pearson plc, presenting both a massive opportunity for product enhancement and a critical risk to assessment integrity. Pearson has moved aggressively, announcing strategic partnerships with major tech players in 2025 to embed AI across its portfolio, including an expanded collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud, leveraging its Gemini models and Vertex AI Platform.

This AI integration is focused on creating personalized, active study experiences. For instance, in Higher Education, students using Pearson's AI-powered study tools are four times more likely to engage in active studying. The company has also launched an AI-powered GCSE Exam Practice Assistant in Assessment & Qualifications and is scaling its AI-powered Study Prep tool (formerly Channels). Additionally, the Generative AI Foundations Certification has seen double-digit growth each month since its launch in late 2024, showing a new revenue stream in AI upskilling.

Here's the quick math on AI impact:

• AI Study Tool Engagement: 4x higher active studying likelihood
• AI Certification Growth: Double-digit monthly growth since October 2024
• Key AI Partnerships in 2025: AWS, Google Cloud, Cognizant

Need for continuous, high investment in digital platforms and security

Maintaining a digital-first operation requires relentless capital expenditure (CapEx) and security focus. Over 80% of Pearson's products are now digital or digitally enabled, meaning platform resilience and data security are non-negotiable. While a specific CapEx figure for platform security is not broken out, the company's 2025 guidance includes incremental investment to support future sales growth and drive technology-enabled cost efficiencies.

This investment is crucial for supporting the massive scale of their operations. The company's strategy includes driving cost efficiencies by adopting a common approach to core platform services, which enables the rapid deployment of new AI features. This focus on a unified, secure digital backbone is the only way to support the strategic shift toward enterprise and direct-to-consumer models. You have to spend money to save time and keep customer data defintely safe.

Rise of direct-to-consumer (D2C) apps like Pearson+ bypassing institutional sales

The D2C channel, primarily driven by the Pearson+ subscription app, is a strategic pivot to capture revenue lost to the used textbook market and build a direct relationship with the learner. This model bypasses the traditional institutional sales cycle. Pearson+ had 3.03 million registered users and 516,000 paid subscriptions as of the 2023 fall semester, a 27% growth year-over-year at the time.

Momentum continued into 2025, with the Higher Education segment reporting a 4% underlying sales increase in H1 2025, driven partly by a 3% growth in US digital subscriptions and good monetization of the Study Prep tool. The goal is to expand Pearson+ beyond its Higher Education core, offering a single subscription for eTextbooks and study tools like the AI-powered Study Prep, which costs students a monthly fee starting at $9.99 for one title or $14.99 for the full library.

Blockchain technology adoption for secure digital credential management

Digital credentials are a core part of Pearson's Enterprise Learning & Skills segment, and the technology is shifting toward decentralized verification. Pearson's digital credential platform, Credly, is a market leader, having issued its 100 millionth unique badge as of January 7, 2025.

To ensure these credentials remain tamper-proof and highly verifiable in the enterprise market, Credly offers the capability to record digital credentials to a blockchain. This is a critical technological feature that adds an additional level of external verification for high-value credentials, making them future-proof against fraud. While Pearson has not announced a specific 2025 blockchain pilot for a new product, the underlying technology is available on the Credly platform to enhance the security and integrity of its vast credential network.

The scale of this operation is significant:

Metric	Value (as of Jan 2025)	Significance
Total Credly Badges Issued	100 Million	Market leadership in digital credentialing.
Blockchain Capability	Available on Credly platform	Provides enhanced, tamper-proof external verification.
Market Trend	Lifespan of a skill projected to drop from 6 years to 2.5 years by 2030	Drives demand for verifiable, micro-credentials.

Pearson plc (PSO) - PESTLE Analysis: Legal factors

The legal landscape for Pearson plc is defined by a high-stakes balance between protecting their vast intellectual property (IP) and navigating a fragmented global regulatory environment, especially concerning student data and tax compliance. You need to view legal risk as a direct cost to the bottom line, not just a compliance checkbox.

Stricter global data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) on student data

As a global learning company, Pearson manages sensitive personal data (PII) for millions of students, making compliance with global data privacy laws a significant operational and financial burden. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) are just the starting point; the cost of compliance is baked into their operating structure, but the cost of failure is much higher.

Here's the quick math: A past failure to secure user data and accurately disclose the breach led to a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2021, resulting in a $1 million penalty. This penalty, while small relative to the Group's H1 2025 Adjusted Operating Profit of £242 million, shows that regulatory bodies are defintely watching disclosure practices as closely as the security failures themselves. The ongoing risk is the sheer volume of data transfers, particularly between the US and the UK, which requires continuous legal review to ensure data is protected across jurisdictions with differing standards.

• Maintain PCI-DSS Level 1 compliance globally for payment card data.
• Ensure compliance with GDPR and US state laws like CCPA for all student PII.
• Prioritize data localization and pseudonymization to mitigate cross-border transfer risk.

Intellectual property (IP) disputes over AI-generated educational content

The rise of Generative AI is a double-edged sword: it's a core growth driver for Pearson's products, but it also creates a massive IP protection risk. Pearson is actively in litigation and has issued cease-and-desist letters against entities that have used its proprietary content-textbooks, assessments, and learning materials-to train their large language models (LLMs) without a license.

Protecting this IP is critical because it underpins their core business units, including Assessment & Qualifications, which accounted for 45% of Sales in 2024. The legal strategy is not just defensive; it's about controlling the licensing and monetization of their content in the new AI economy. They are simultaneously investing heavily in their own AI-powered tools, like the Smart Lesson Generator, which means their legal team must also ensure their own AI development is IP-compliant.

Compliance with varying international accreditation and testing standards

Operating in nearly 60 countries means Pearson must harmonize its product standards with a complex web of national and international regulatory bodies. This is particularly true for their high-stakes testing and vocational qualifications business, Pearson VUE, and their BTEC qualifications.

Compliance is demonstrated by adherence to key global standards, which include:

• ISO 19011 guidelines for their global internal audit process.
• UK regulator Ofqual requirements for BTEC qualifications, with new quality assurance guides published as recently as March 2025.

The financial impact of international legal disputes is best seen in tax and regulatory challenges. As of the H1 2025 results, Pearson disclosed a significant contingent liability related to a tax assessment in Brazil concerning the deduction of goodwill amortization. The potential total exposure for this single international legal matter could reach up to BRL 1,372 million (approximately £183 million) for periods up to June 30, 2025, though management believes the likelihood of this loss is low and no provision has been made.

Antitrust reviews concerning market dominance in specific assessment areas

Given Pearson's scale, especially in the US Student Assessment and professional certification markets via Pearson VUE, the risk of antitrust scrutiny is always present. Their market leadership in Assessment & Qualifications generates a high margin (23% in 2024), which naturally attracts regulatory attention to ensure fair competition and pricing.

While there are no recent, material antitrust reviews that have resulted in a fine or provision in the 2025 H1 financials, the legal team must constantly manage the perception and reality of market dominance. A key legal opportunity, however, came from a favorable tax ruling: Pearson received a £114 million State Aid tax recovery in Q1 2025, which significantly boosted their free cash flow to £156 million in H1 2025. This shows that proactive legal and tax strategy can deliver massive financial upside, not just mitigate risk.

Legal Risk Area	2025 Financial/Statistical Impact (H1 2025 or Closest)	Strategic Action
International Tax/Regulatory Dispute	Potential exposure of up to £183 million (BRL 1,372m) for Brazilian tax dispute.	Actively defending the tax position; no provision currently required.
Data Privacy (GDPR/CCPA)	Past SEC penalty of $1 million for data breach/disclosure failure.	Continuous investment in compliance and data security protocols.
Intellectual Property (AI Content)	Underpins 45% of Sales (Assessment & Qualifications).	Active litigation and cease-and-desist letters against unauthorized AI training; strategic partnerships (Microsoft, AWS, Google Cloud) for compliant AI development.
Favorable Legal/Tax Outcome	Receipt of £114 million State Aid tax recovery in Q1 2025.	Reinvesting cash flow into a £350 million share buyback program.

Pearson plc (PSO) - PESTLE Analysis: Environmental factors

Pressure from investors and stakeholders for comprehensive ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) reporting.

You are seeing a relentless push from the investment community for verifiable, detailed ESG data, and Pearson plc is defintely responding. The company is actively preparing for compliance with the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which demands a double materiality assessment-looking at both the financial impact of environmental issues on the company and the company's impact on the environment. This is a critical near-term action for 2025.

The market already recognizes their efforts, which is important for attracting capital. Pearson is a constituent of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and was ranked in the top 15% of its industry by S&P Global in their Sustainability Yearbook. Additionally, Sustainalytics rates Pearson with a Negligible Risk classification, placing them in the Global Top 50, a strong signal to risk-averse investors.

Here's the quick math: strong ESG ratings lower the cost of capital. That's the real value.

Mandates to reduce paper consumption in testing and publishing operations.

The shift to digital is the core strategy driving environmental gains here. Pearson's paper consumption continues to fall sharply, moving away from the old textbook model. In 2024, total paper consumption decreased to 19,255 tonnes, a significant drop from 22,859 tonnes in 2023.

This reduction directly cuts into their Scope 3 (value chain) emissions. The company has a clear, measurable goal for its remaining print needs: it is on track to procure 100% of its paper from certified sources (like FSC, PEFC, and SFI) by the end of 2025, up from 92% achieved in 2024.

Environmental Metric	2024 Actual Data	2025 Target/Impact
Total Paper Consumption (tonnes)	19,255 (down from 22,859 in 2023)	Continued reduction via digitalization
Certified Paper Sourcing (%)	92% (FSC, PEFC, SFI)	100% by end of 2025
GHG Emissions Reduction (vs. 2018 baseline)	40% total reduction	On track for 50% reduction by 2030

Focus on energy efficiency for large-scale data centers supporting digital learning.

As Pearson becomes a cloud-first, AI-driven company, the environmental focus shifts from paper mills to data centers. The good news is that Pearson's own operational electricity consumption is currently 100% renewable, achieved through green energy tariffs and Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs).

The real action in 2025 is in infrastructure optimization. The company has been consolidating its data centers, shutting down three data centers in 2024 and opening a new, more energy-efficient facility. The full energy efficiency benefits of these consolidation actions will be realized and reported throughout 2025.

The new strategic partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), announced in February 2025, is key. It moves a significant portion of their compute load to AWS's high-performance cloud infrastructure, which is inherently more resource-efficient than maintaining proprietary, older data centers.

Supply chain risks related to print materials, though this segment is shrinking.

The risk in the print supply chain is still there, but it is shrinking fast. Pearson's digital transition has already cut its value chain (Scope 3) emissions by 39% since the 2018 baseline.

However, Scope 3 remains the dominant part of their carbon footprint, accounting for approximately 234,820,000 kg CO2e in 2024, with the largest single source being Capital Goods at 68% of Scope 3 emissions. This means the carbon intensity of their technology and content creation partners is the next big challenge.

Actionable steps to mitigate print-related risk include:

• Reducing logistics: In 2024, they cut nearly eight million book miles, mostly by reducing air freight.
• Shifting production: Increased investment in print-on-demand services minimizes waste and the risk of holding obsolete inventory.
• Enforcing standards: The July 2025 Responsible Procurement Policy requires print suppliers to comply with new regulations, including the EU Regulation 2023/1115 on deforestation-free products.

The move to digital is the best mitigation for print supply chain risk, period.