Textbook or laptop? The surprising difference in carbon footprints is revealed

A new study has found that the carbon footprint of electronic teaching aids is ten times more than that of textbooks. It suggests that using a textbook with a lifetime of five years is considerably less harmful in terms of carbon dioxide carbon emissions.

Have you ever stopped to consider the carbon footprint of your study materials? A new Swedish study, financed by NHO Grafisk in Norway, has done just that. The study set out to calculate the environmental impact of the different kinds of teaching aids available today.

Shockingly, it found that the carbon footprint of electronic teaching aids is ten times higher than that of printed textbooks.

The scope of the study

The number of published studies comparing the environmental impact of printed and electronic media is quite low, so the results of the Swedish study are particularly interesting. It considered the lifecycle steps of the media products and calculated the carbon dioxide emissions from those lifecycle steps.

For the printed textbook, the lifecycle steps included: pulp and paper production, transportation of paper, prepress, printing, distribution of the books, use during studies and the waste management of the books. A lifetime of five years was assumed.

For the electronic teaching, the lifecycle steps covered were: formatting of the teaching material, use of the Internet infrastructure, use of electronics during studies and the waste management of electronics. A lifetime of five years was also assumed for the electronic media, with a total of 10,900 active hours.

Textbook vs electronic media

In the Swedish study, the environmental impact on global warming from the emissions of fossil carbon dioxide was the sole focus. No other kind of environmental impact was considered.

The results showed that the pulp and paper production process and the printing process were significant contributions to the total carbon footprint of the textbooks. The waste management aspect was another significant contributor.

When it comes to web-based electronic teaching aids, the production of computer equipment for users and the use phase contribute in a significant way to the total carbon footprint. The environmental effects of the use of Internet infrastructure is another area of research where there is little evidence. The study authors emphasize the need for more studies in this field, especially around how to allocate the energy use between different data, voice and television.

The results: A printed textbook has a much lower carbon footprint

Based on these analyses, the study found that the global warming impact of the web-based electronic teaching aid is approximately ten times higher than the impact of a printed textbook. This ten times higher figure is based on the assumption of a low energy equipment scenario (e.g., a laptop).

Where a higher-energy electronic device is used (e.g., a desktop computer) the electronic teaching aid is an even worse comparison. Its carbon footprint is approximately thirty times that of the printed textbook.

When it comes to the printed textbook, the best way to reduce the carbon footprint would be to optimize the energy use during paper production. In this regard, paper manufacturers which are transitioning to using renewables as part of their energy mix would be the best option.

What next?

Find out more about the environmental credentials of printed materials and the environmental impact of the paper industry on our blog:

• The Navigator Company awarded top ESG honor
• Paper packaging and the circular economy
• Are printed magazines a sustainable branding choice?
• Virgin fiber vs. recycled fiber?
• Paper makers: the story of those who cultivate sustainable forests
• The sustainable way to buy paper