Life is full of decisions and having the proper information or understanding the full picture is the best way to make the right decision.
Over the last number of years, Paper and therefore Printing has received a significant amount of negative and misinformed environmental criticism, causing its benefits to be overshadowed by misleading environmental claims; such as clear cutting, greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation just to name a few.
Although many of these claims can be true with paper being produced in South American, Eastern European and Asian countries, it certainly should not be considered a blanket statement as most European and North American paper manufacturers have long changed these practices.
Here are some interesting facts to consider that can position paper-based communications (and therefore printing) as good for the environment:
- Paper is the most recycled product in North America with a recovery rate of approximately 57%
- Trees are renewable! For every tree that is harvested in a managed forest, several more are planted or generated naturally. According to the USDA Forest Service, about 4 million trees are planted daily in the US and the total acreage of forest land has increased by 12,000,000 acres over 20 years ago.
- Trees and paper are biodegradable.
- The pulp and paper industry has reduced its energy use by 42% over the last 25 years, while the Energy consumption of Data Centers is increasing at a rate of 24% Annually.
- 62 Trillion spam emails are sent every year, contributing to greenhouse gases equivalent to 2 Billion gallons of gasoline.
- Over 200 million items of e-waste are thrown away every year in the US causing 70% of the toxic waste in US landfills.
- AND…..Surprise, Surprise, Swedish researchers found recently that in Europe, reading the news for 30 minutes online produces more CO2 per year, per reader, than reading a printed newspaper. The greatest factors contributing to CO2 in printed news, the production of the paper itself; in online media, the energy used to power the computer while reading or, in the case of an e-tablet, to produce the device itself.
How can you help? By working with a Print Partner who is certified by one, or in the best case, all of the sustainable paper certifications; such as FSC, PEFC and SFI, you can work together to determine the most effect and responsible manners in which to create sustainable communication.
Need more information? Post your comment below or drop me a line at msuter(at)kggdigital.com.
Sources: McAfee, The Carbon Footprint of Email Spam Report, The US Environmental Protection Agency, www.need.org, US Dept. of Energy, Sustainable Forestry Initiative Program,
Tags: Eco-Friendly, Environment, FSC, Green, Paper, Print Communications, Printing, Recycling, Sustainable
Very interesting information and verifies something that I suspected – paperless is not clean. You see lots of computer junk at the dump, not much paper. Keep blogging Mike!
Good material that you’ve given me here. I’ll glance ahead to you other articles.
That is really insightful. It provided me with a few ideas and I’ll be placing them on my website. I’m bookmarking your site and I’ll be back again. Thank you again!