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We’ve rhapsodised on this blog many times about the benefits of print, even in a digital age – it’s tactile, engaging and screams prestige and quality. But as a medium it certainly has its detractors, most notably those who point to the negative environmental consequences of the paper industry.

So allow us to take a moment and test some of those claims. Sure, we’ve got a clear bias here, and we’re not going to claim that the paper industry is a wholesome posterchild for environmental virtue. But it is far less damaging than widely believed – and its impact on the earth is nothing like that of digital media, which is far from the clean and green option.

Responsible forestry practices result in more trees, not less

Australian paper comes from carefully managed plantations and forests where the process of logging, planting and growing is controlled and monitored. There were one million hectares of forest plantations in Australia in 1994 – by 2010, it was two million. While the paper industry cops a lot of blame for deforestation, agriculture is a far bigger contributor.

Responsible forestry practices see new trees planted for each that is cut down, and young trees absorb more CO2 than older forests. And of all of the wood taken from the planet’s forests, only 11% is used by the paper industry. Sawmills use 28% and energy production requires a whopping 53%.

Digital media expels far more CO2 than paper

Here are some figures comparing the impact of print media versus digital media:

• Printing a 700 page document generates about 85 grams of CO2; spending one hour reading the same document on a computer is equal to 226 grams.
• Sending a single email with a 400kb attachment to 20 people uses the same amount of energy as burning a 100 watt lightbulb for half an hour.
• Reading a physical newspaper uses about 20% less carbon than reading the news online.

Digital media has a significant environmental impact

Globally, around 40 million tonnes of old electronic equipment, like computers, TVs, laptops, phones and tablets, end up in landfill. They’re not biodegradable and toxic chemicals seep into the ground – in the third world, those unlucky enough to live close to the plants that process our electronic debris can suffer serious health issues. While there are recycling schemes available specifically for electronics, far too few consumers make use of them. On the other hand, around 95% of Australian households recycle their paper products. 

This post was complied using statistics from Two Sides, which is well worth checking out if you want to learn more about this topic.

What do you think about the environmental consequences of digital media versus paper?