Paper book or e-reader: Which is more climate-friendly?

That is a difficult question.

The reason for this lies in the complex interplay of resources that play a role in the entire life cycle of a published work: how books and devices are transported, how much energy they use to operate and whether they can be recycled.

Digital reading is growing in popularity – especially audiobooks. According to the Association of American Publishers, audiobooks now have about the same share of the total US book market as e-books – about 15%. But print books are still by far the most popular format.

Andrew Albanese, editor-in-chief of Publishers Weekly, says:

“Publishers are interested in preserving the business they have built over hundreds of years. This explains why the industry is focusing its efforts primarily on improving the sustainability of paperbacks and hardbacks, rather than digital formats. “They want to run their print book business as efficiently as possible, as cleanly as possible and as environmentally friendly as possible.”

According to 2023 data from literary industry research group WordsRated, the book printing industry is the world’s third-largest industrial greenhouse gas emitter when it comes to pulp and paper. In the United States, 32 million trees are cut down each year to make paper for books. That’s on top of printing and shipping – not to mention the many books that are destroyed because they don’t sell.

Although it’s common practice in the industry, publishers don’t want to destroy books. Instead, many donate unsold copies, switch to on-demand printing, or, like Chronicle Books, reduce their initial print runs to see how well titles sell before printing more.

Tyrrell Mahoney, President of Chronicle Books, said:

“We thought higher cost and less waste was better. We have this great partner in India who has now figured out how to use recycled cotton materials to make paper for printing.”

Like many other publishers, Chronicle Books is trying to use more sustainable paper.

But digital reading appears to have a significant environmental advantage over print reading because it is paperless, saving trees, paper production and transportation costs. In addition, technology companies that make e-readers, such as Amazon, which sells the market-leading Kindle e-reader, offer recycling programs for old devices.

But digital devices also have a significant carbon footprint, especially during manufacturing. Their casings are made from plastics derived from fossil fuels and the minerals in their batteries have to be mined in a resource-intensive process.

The answer

The decision of whether to take a digital device or a paperback to the beach ultimately depends on how voraciously you read.

Berners-Lee, author of The Carbon Footprint of Everything, says:

“If you buy an e-reader and read loads of books on it, that’s the lowest carbon solution. But if I buy it, read a few books and then decide I prefer to read paperbacks, that’s the worst of all.”

Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with over 10 years of experience. When she is not writing, she enjoys cooking or spending time with her dog Rain.