The Big Environmental Debate: Paper Vs. Electronics
Which is more economical? This topic has always been a bit of a debate; does using paper really harm the environment that much? More than electronic devices?
At Premier Copier Solutions, we are constantly considering the future. We like to ensure our products are environmentally friendly but also on par with the latest technologies.
We recently came across an article where the responding comments caught our eye more than the article itself. The article considered the opinions of Two Sides, keen supporters of sustainability in print, paper and post, and Go Paperless, a campaign that encourages companies to become paperless operations. Prestigious companies such as the Royal Mail and Google are supportive of these campaigns.
The article pointed out the confusion relating to paper and electrical consumption but an essay-like comment from John Roche really put the argument into motion. His passionate insights could be viewed as ignorant and condescending but nonetheless he made some relevant points. When comparing “electrical devices/interfaces” and “good, old-fashioned pen and paper” he commented, “Since when has burning fossil fuels to generate electricity to power our electronic world been considered environmentally friendly?” While his argument was clearly pro-paper and print, it inspired us to look at the facts and figures of paper consumption. The No Wonder You Love Paper campaign investigated some myths with surprising findings:
The Myth: Making paper destroys forests
The Fact: Paper production supports sustainable forest management
The Statistic:
Since 1950, Forests in Europe have grown by over 30% and are increasing by 1.5 million football pitches every year – an area four times the size of London. (1)
In Europe, forests are growing and now cover 44% of the land area. 98% of all European forests are covered by a management plan or equivalents.’ (2)
The Myth: Making paper is bad for the environment
The Fact: Paper is one of the few truly sustainable products
The Statistic:
The European recycling rates for paper reached 69% in 2010. (3) The latest UK figures are 79%. (4)
And comparing paper to electronics:
Electronic waste is now the fastest growing component of the municipal waste stream.
The amount of electronic products discarded globally has sky rocketed recently with 20-50 million tonnes generated every year.
In Europe, e-waste is increasing at 3-5% a year, almost three times faster than the total waste stream. (5)
The Myth: Making paper consumes a lot of energy
The Fact: Most of it is renewable energy
The Statistic:
The paper industry is one of the biggest users of renewable, low carbon energy and over half the energy used to make paper in Europe comes from renewable sources. (6)
Paper and print is one of the smallest greenhouse gas emitting industries on the planet:
Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 2005, (Extracts)
Electricity and Heat 24.9%
Industry 14.7%
Transportation 14.3%
Agriculture 13.8%
Pulp, Paper and Print 1.1% (7)
The Myth: Paper has a high carbon footprint.
The Fact: It’s not as high as you think.
The Statistic:
Reading a newspaper can consume 20% less carbon than viewing news online. (8)
The Myth: Electronic communication is more environmentally friendly than print and paper.
The Fact: Not necessarily, e-media also has environmental impacts
The Statistic:
With a reading time of 30 minutes per day, the environmental impact of a web-based newspaper is, in general, in the same range as a printed newspaper’s environmental impact. (9)
Sources
(1) UNECE, FAO, The Development of Forest Resources, 1950 to 2000
(2) MCPFE, Europe’s Forests, 2007
(3) European Declaration on Paper Recycling 2006-2010, Monitoring Report 2010
(4) UK Confederation of Paper Industries, 2012
(5) Source: Greenpeace, The e-waste problem, 2009
(6) CEPI, Forest Fact Sheet, 2008
(7) World Resources Institute. WRI, July 2009
(8) Swedish Royal Institute for Technology
(9) Moberg A, et al, 2007
To see the original article with John Roche’s comment, see the link below:
No Wonder You Love Paper:
