E-SOLUTION Paper mills are responsible for the greatest environmental impact as regards newspaper production. When demands for cleaner processes are made on the daily newspapers, e-paper may well be the solution.
Paper manufacturing is the part of newspaper production that releases the most carbon dioxide and consumes the most energy. Distribution also accounts for a large share of the environmental load resulting from hard-copy newspapers.
"We are going to have to make significant changes if we are to succeed with the goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 85 percent by the year 2050. All sectors of society will be forced to do their bit," says Goran Finnveden, professor in Environmental strategic analysis at Kungliga Tekniska Hogskolan (Royal Institute of Technology)
Reading one newspaper a day is equivalent to annual emissions of carbon dioxide that are comparable with a car journey of about 100km.
This is not particularly much when compared to other industries, but it is a question of credibility both in relation to customers and employees.
At the newly started centre for sustainable communications at KTH, a report has been produced showing the various environmental impacts reading a newspaper has. They have taken four alternatives into account. Normal hard-copy newspapers, reading Internet newspapers for ten and for thirty minutes, and using e-paper. They have also compared Swedish conditions with the average in Europe
E-PAPER has the lowest emissions and uses the least energy according to the report from a Swedish, but especially a European, perspective. The fact that both energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases is greater in Europe depends on the Swedish electricity, to a large extent, being derived from water and nuclear power, while in Europe more electricity is produced from coal fired stations.
They have also looked at the environmental impacts different areas of newspaper production have.
Paper production accounts for the lion's share, both with respect to energy consumption and greenhouse emissions, with a figure of 40 percent of emissions and distribution at 30 percent.
"It is a little surprising that distribution is not more prominent," says Goran Finnveden.
ONE WAY OF REDUCING the environmental impacts of daily newspapers is investing in E-paper.
Here energy consumption and emissions are at a relatively low level, but it is also a way of putting pressure on other businesses.
The desire to market yourself as an eco-friendly alternative is not as strong today; there may be the need of a new player, a new medium that uses this type of sales argument to enter the market. E-paper is very well placed to be such a medium.
But then it is a case at looking more closely at the manufacturing process and how you handle electronic scrap.
We do not have a clear picture of this as yet.
THE SURVEY assumes that the E-paper reader only lasts for one year.
"If it lasts longer the results will be even better," says Goran Finnveden.
When they started the study, it was clearly evident that e-paper would produce good results.
"This is why we have been consciously cautious in our assumptions," says Goran Finnveden.
Even though he sees great potential in E-paper.
Particularly if you increase the number of functions, the load then drops further.
He is looking forward personally to the time when E-paper becomes a reality, and not just for environmental reasons.
"What a relief it will be not having to drag your computer and a kilo of paper between work and home in the belief that you must read everything."
This is how we will be better at returns
The majority of Swedish daily newspapers are recycled today, but we can be even better.
Every Swede takes 55 kilos on average to the paper recycling collection points each year. This is equivalent to over 80 percent of production.
In order to increase the level of collection further, the newspaper publishers together with a number of large paper manufacturers, Sveriges Tidskriftar and Grafiska F�retagen are running a campaign called "My life as paper."
We will try to get Swedes to be even better, says Goran Nilsson , CEO for Pressretur
Today we return around 480,000 tonnes of return paper. The aim is to increase this by at least 50,000 tonnes.
"Then there is a proportion that disappears in things like stoves and for wrapping fish, but we will never be able to recover these," says Goran Nilsson.
"The campaign has mostly appeared in the daily press and on outdoor advertising hoards so far, but even schools will be targeted during 2008. Children are very aware when it comes to this type of issue. And they are very good at influencing their parents and older siblings," says Goran Nilsson.
According to a study from SIFO, it is young men in particular who do not recycle their newspapers. They have a laid back attitude to most things and the results are a reflection of this.
The campaign is also designed for dispatchers to strike a blow for the newspaper as an eco-friendly way of consuming news.
We want to explain to the general public that reading a newspaper is nothing to be ashamed of, under the condition that they return it for recycling.
The campaign will be running for three years. More information is available at www.papperskretsen.se