The impossible dilemma: Paper books vs e-books

Hamaka
Written By Alieska Robles

Both print and e-book sales are growing. Independently of their categories or formats, they both come with environmental and social impacts. 

The first thought that often comes to mind is how many trees we need to chop down for making a traditional book, but there are also environmental consequences in manufacturing, using, and disposing of electronic devices. It seems easier to visualize the damage of cutting down forests than the impacts of polluting air and water with microchips, heavy metals and plastic. Things are not as simple as saying that "digital communication is green and print is not." 

Hamaka Creativity Lab - Photography Indie Book Mag Publishing London Ontario-00308.jpg

Environmental impacts of e-readers

During the golden age of e-readers, The New York Times conducted research to calculate the environmental impact of a single device, including the extraction of minerals, use of clean water, and fossil fuels along the manufacturing process. Such analysis pointed out that producing one e-reader releases roughly the same emissions as making fifty paper books. "If climate change and human health consequences are factored in, that number can grow to more than 100 books." 

On average, producing an e-reader requires an average of 33 pounds of minerals, 79 gallons of water and 100-kilowatt hours of fossil fuels. It will generate more than 65 pounds of carbon dioxide, 370 pounds in its entire lifecycle, and a large amount of waste dumped into landfills, without considering the energy required to charge during its use, plus downloading the books. Most new consumer electronics are made overseas, which means your new device was probably shipped across oceans and land before reaching your hands.

By some estimates, small electronics already account for more global carbon emissions than the airline industry, and most people use their electronic devices for two years or less before replacing them with newer models. There are currently more than 3.8 billion smartphones globally, with China, India, and the United States being the countries with the highest number of users. There are also 2 billion computers and more than 9 billion devices connected to the internet. 

Even if users read enough books to lessen their environmental impact, electronic waste is a big problem on its own. There's too much of it, and we still don't know how to properly discard them. If an e-reader is not recycled correctly, it will likely end up releasing toxic substances into the atmosphere in one way or another. 

Environmental impacts of paper books

"Paper has been an integral part of our cultural development and is essential for modern life. Print and paper have been the preferred communications medium for 2,000 years."

Paper manufacturers promote forest sustainability by using certified wood fibres that comply with global forest management policies. Each year, forests in North America grow more wood than is harvested. Claims like "go paperless to save trees" can create the idea that forests are a finite resource that is being destroyed. In reality, North American forests are a renewable resource that is regularily being replenished through forest management and tree planting initiatives.  

Producing a book from recycled paper requires about 2/3 of a pound of minerals, 2 gallons of water and 2 kilowatt-hours of fossil fuels. It generates approximately 16.5 pounds of carbon dioxide, considerably fewer greenhouse gases than those caused by the production of one e-reader. Paper can also be recycled about 7 times before the fibres become too weak and short to hold their structure. At that point, they need fresh fibres to be added. Some other negative aspects of producing paper have been improving over time, like reducing the use of poisonous substances like chlorine to whitten the paper or using soy-based inks instead of petroleum-based ones. We will have to consider the soy farming industry and its impacts too. 

Our landfills are composed of about 26% paper. If a book makes its way into a landfill, its decomposition process will produce twice the climate change emissions as the manufacturing process. But it is considerably less damaging than the equivalent weight of electronic waste. 

The way we use our books and electronics can have its effects too. Reading at night while using a light bulb will likely require more energy than charging an e-reader. Reading during the day will solve the problem. 

When properly cared for, books can last hundreds of years, pass from one generation to another, and be recycled into another book upon its end. Which we cannot say about electronics.

Hamaka Creativity Lab - Photography Indie Book Mag Publishing London Ontario-00316.jpg

A few more things to consider

If you care about what you read, you might also consider how the brain processes physical and digital information. "Turns out print is easier to comprehend than digital text because you're focusing our attention on something still", says Anne Mangen, professor at the University of Stavanger in Norway. Evidence suggests that the feel of paper, physically turning pages, and the visual cues of printed books improve our recall of what we read. And the constant exposure to fast-paced digital media has trained the brain to process information more rapidly and less thoroughly. Most of us get a lot of screen time throughout the day, which affects our circadian rhythms. Between watching TV, working on a computer, or looking at a phone, it can seem like everything involves a screen, so taking a break from them might feel promising. Print books promote sharing and are filled with nostalgia and comfort.  

"Print books run all the way back to the invention of the printing press in the 1400s. It wasn't until the 1970s that any print was digitized."

On the other side of the coin, E-books usually offer more affordable rates and are easier to access. They also provide extra features like a built-in dictionary, support for multiple languages, highlights and note-writing without damaging the book, look up things online, save reading position, etc. To retain on-screen text information, you can always try slowing down and handwriting the main takeaways as you read. E-books don't take up any physical space, so there's no need for massive bookshelves. We all know that smaller houses contribute to fewer emissions. 

Hamaka Social Ontario-05975.jpg

There is no perfect solution

We're sorry to disappoint, but the answer is always moderation. There is an endless list of consequences to both methods of communication, and to continue sharing knowledge and preserving history, we have no other option than to choose one or the other. What we can do, is use them wisely. 

Libraries should not be underestimated as they turn less into more. A single copy of a book could be accessed by thousands of people for unlimited amounts of time, reducing its environmental impact. As stated by Daniel Goleman and Gregory Norris from the New York Times, "the most ecologically virtuous way to read a book starts by walking to your local library."

If you still want to buy, choose recycled books or buy them used. You can also borrow and exchange books and create a small community library box in your neighbourhood. Rather than purchasing a different device for reading, use what you already have, like a computer or phone. If you take the e-reader route, use it until it can't be used no more to extend its life. And when it dies, recycle it responsibly.

Alieska Robles
Previous

Save the trees!

Next

The Really Nice Sauce