Oct 3

Oct 3 Lesson Fifty-Four: Books

Oh hey there! As an avid reader, I’m eager to cover the topic of books this week!

Curious what the most eco-friendly way to get through books is? Scroll down and find out!

WHAT ARE BOOKS MADE OF?

Books are essentially a combination of paper and ink:

Paper: Books are made from different coated and uncoated paper stocks that differ in weight and size.

Ink: Printing ink is a mixture of pigments, solvents, drying agents, and binders. Commonly, petroleum (oil) is used as a solvent as it’s quick to dry.

WHAT IMPACTS DO BOOKS HAVE?

As you probably guessed, a lot of natural resources are used to make books.

The industry harvests millions of trees a year, generates massive amounts of wastewater, and creates a sizeable carbon footprint from manufacturing and transportation.

Over the coming decade, the global book industry is on track to bulldoze woodlands more than four times the size of Wales – up to a staggering 3.4 billion trees.

HOW DO E-READERS COMPARE?

E-readers have a significant impact as well since they are made with minerals, water, toxic chemicals, and plastic.

They are usually produced abroad meaning a new e-reader has to be shipped across the ocean before making its way into your hands.

An independent study found that Amazon’s kindle generates 168kg of carbon dioxide where as an average book generates about 7.5kg of CO2.

According to this study, you would need to read roughly 22 e-books to offset the carbon emissions of the e-reader.

Another study took into account the fossil fuel use, water use, and mineral consumption of one e-reader. The amount needed to offset grew to 40-50 books.