In the News

June 13, 2008

E-books are gaining popularity but are they more eco-friendly than paper books?

The obvious answer to this question, in many consumers’ minds, would seem to be yes. After all, we’re not killing trees, right? This may be true, but there is more to it than that.

Currently on the market are e-books such as the Amazon Kindle, a wireless reading device, and the Sony Reader. So, are these products more eco-friendly than paper books? We don’t know yet. One factor that needs to be taken into consideration is “carbon footprinting.” Thanks to a relatively new study, we now know that the manufacturing process of each paper U.S. book releases 8.85 pounds of carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, the same study doesn't cover the carbon footprint of e-books.

Sony has been advertising its Sony Reader as an eco-product, claiming that not only will reading e-books save trees, but energy as well. Apparently the device can go through roughly 1,000 page turns without needing to be recharged.

Establishing an effective measure of the carbon footprint of an e-book would require conducting a lifecycle analysis of the e-reader, including its production methods, materials used in production and packaging, delivery to retail and customers, energy required for the reader's use, and whether or not it could be recycled when disposed. We can look forward to future studies that will provide us with an average figure on the matter.

Source: LA Times: Paper vs. paperless: Which makes reading greener?