Electronic Communication or Paper What’s Greener?

I promised to continue with the subject of International Paper’s brochure that asks the question, “Are pixels greener than paper?” As I said in my last blog, before reading their information I would have answered, “Of course, pixels are greener than paper.” After all, no trees have to be sacrificed to create electronic blips. Now I see that there is an argument to be made. You may disagree with International Paper, it’s no skin off my nose. I’m only serving as a purveyor of information.  When it comes to hot potato issues like the environment, I tend to run to the middle ground myself. The hostility that surrounds such issues tends to be fierce and in the end neither of the more radical views will prevail anyway. That being said, I think it wise to listen to all points of view so I can find  the middle ground for myself.

The previous post discussed energy use.  From I.P.’s  brochure Down To Earth I quote, “Every decision to communicate has some impact on the environment. For example, whether we email or send a letter, we consume energy and resources. There are environmental trade offs in every choice we make, and there is no simple ‘right answer.’ Effective stewardship requires a careful examination of the larger picture that compares the entire life cycle, from raw materials to energy use and end of life, to fully understand the impact and performance of both electronic media and paper. The facts may surprise you.”

Negative Carbon Footprint

More Planted than Harvested

In this post we will focus on sustainability. “One of the great things about paper is that its primary raw materials are renewable. The paper and forest products industry replenishes more than it takes and ensures the sustainability of our forests by planting 1.7 million trees every single day, more than three times what is harvested. And the U.S. Dept. of Energy has stated that the carbon sequestered on forested lands in 2006 was greater than the carbon released from harvesting wood over the same period.”

Side-by-Side Comparison

Is it recycled? Paper is biodegradable, recyclable, and reusable. Nearly 60% (57.4%) of paper used in the U.S. is recycled and more than 63 percent of fiber used to make paper products comes from recycled paper. Paper waste won’t kill you unless a skid falls on your head, but that isn’t true of electronics, according to earth 911, “Electronic waste accounts for 70 percent of the overall toxic waste currently found in landfills. In addition to valuable metals like aluminum, electronics often contain hazardous materials like mercury…in 2005 alone, almost two million tons of e-waste were landfilled. While toxic materials comprise only a small amount of this volume, it doesn’t take much lead or mercury to contaminate an area’s soil or water supply.”  There is even a report that says the dust collecting on our computers can be harmful to our health (see CNET). Sources say 150 million PC’s are expected be discarded annually, with only approximately 3.6 percent recycled.

Is it sustainable? The great thing about paper is that its primary raw materials are renewable. In fact, as stated earlier, three trees are planted for every one harvested. We may be in more danger of being crowded out than we are of risking barren landscapes. To create a computer for example “typically requires the mining and refining of dozens of minerals and metals, including gold, silver, and palladium as well as the extensive use of plastics and hydrocarbon solvents. (DTE brochure)” Plus computers are short lived. A five year old computer is about as productive as a paperweight, which is partially the reason that “electronics have become the fastest growing waste stream in the world. (DTE brochure).

I could go on, but there are massive amounts of information available to anyone who wants to research these matters further. International Paper in their brochure would refer you to the following resources: ipsustainability.com; iplifeoftheforest.com; abundantforests.com; epa.gov; fsc.org; iea.org; pefc.org and sfiprogram.org.

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International Paper is distributing a series of brochures under the title of  DOWN TO EARTH, A Practical Look At Environmental Issues And Trends. They are thought provoking and well-designed. I tell you this upfront because it is always good to know the source. In this case it is a paper company making a case for paper, so be sure to take it with a grain of wood pulp.

The brochure I have on my desk in front of me asks the question, Are Pixels Greener Than Paper? I never really thought about it, but if I had I suppose my answer would be, “Of course, pixels are greener than paper.” After all you don’t have to harvest a tree for a blip on the screen.  Right? Well I was surprised to learn:

• 

  20% less CO2

  “Twenty percent less CO2 is used per year by a person reading a daily printed newspaper versus a person reading  web-based news for 30 minutes a day.”

• “On average it takes 500 kilowatt-hours of electricity to produce 440 lbs. of paper, the typical amount of paper each of us consumes annually. That’s the equivalent of powering one computer continuously for five months.”
• 

  60% energy increase

  “It costs an estimated $2.8 billion [in] energy to leave computers sitting idle overnight in the U.S. alone. On a CO2 basis, that’s 20 million tons of carbon dioxide, about the amount produced by four million cars on the road.”

• “A government study estimates that the rise in gadget ownership and the switch from analogue to digital TV could boost the electricity usage of the consumer electronic sector by 60 percent by 2010.”

There is more to report on this issue and International paper recommends the following sites for further information: ipsustainability.com ; abudantforests.org ; epa.gov ; fsc.org ; iea.org ; pefc.org ; sfiprogram.org ; iplifeoftheforest.com

Next: Sustainability and Recyclability

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More to the Story

In my blog of February 17,  I reviewed various paper coatings. Did you think that was the end of  the story? Oh no, my friend. Coating is only the beginning we haven’t even touched paper finishes, nor have we discussed color, brightness, and construction.

Pretty  + Pretty = Disaster

What does it matter? I’ll tell you why it matters because selecting the right paper can make or break a job. For example a few years ago a new paper was introduced with a fascinating pattern called, I believe, snowflake. It was a dazzling white and the designers fell in love with it. I couldn’t blame them, it was as pretty as a new sports car. Used correctly this paper would have made any project look terrific, but we all found out the hard way that pretty paper doesn’t guarantee a pretty result.

Albino Alligator Shoes

The graphic designer’s customer was a company importing a line of spa and skin care products. The models they used in their advertising were young with flawless skin, and extraordinary features–the perfect examples of feminine beauty. The cover photo for the brochure was  one of these incredible models relaxing in a tub of deep-aqua colored water. The blue was made by the product they were selling, and it had the added advantage of masking, shall we say, the more sensitive spots? The problem? Hooboy! The paper finish had definite highs and lows. Ink tended to puddle in the lows. The effect was that the model’s skin looked like a pair of albino alligator shoes. Needless to say, it wasn’t the look  they were going for (see picture above).

Beautiful expensive paper, incredible photography, and state of the art printing equipment couldn’t save it, couldn’t put Humpty-Dumpty together again. Alligator skin was 180 degrees off the mark, and because it was a brand new paper it was a crap shoot. We didn’t know what would happen on press. We found out. The bottom line, all of the expensive paper was dumped and the job was printed on a nice but less costly coated sheet. You can see the difference in the photos of the printed pieces.

What’s New

The world of paper choices is endless. Every year, it seems, the mills work overtime to come up with the next  new wonder. They even tweak their old standbys by adding new colors, obsoleting others, or modifying the surfaces to fit special needs.

International Paper

I looked up the web site of International Paper, because they supply most of the printers in this area, and to make sure I got everything covered. You too can look them up on their website:  http://www.internationalpaper.com

International’s descriptions proved adequate for people in the biz, but sometimes a little vague for the uninitiated. For example, their definition for laid paper is paper with a laid finish. That works for me because I know what a laid finish is, but does it help the rest of you? I didn’t think so.

In a future blog I’ll list the various finishes and add my own descriptions to make them more understandable.  In the meantime you can check in with International if you have questions, call your local paper merchant, or get in touch with me www.billrueschprintbrokers.com