Posted on by torissia

Battle of the Books: From an Environmental Perspective, Does Digital or Physical Win?

I’ve always been a fan of physical books. I’ve tried to get into e-readers, but for me the format makes focusing on the text more difficult. I find that most people tend to prefer one or the other, and to each their own. But I remember when my mom first got a kindle, and she was telling me about how great it is, that one of her points was that it was better for the environment. And something I’ve always wondered in response is, well is it really? As an environmental studies major I’m always trying to find out ways to be more sustainable with my consumption. I think hobbies, like reading, are important to have, and not something to forgo simply in the name of the environment, but find myself wondering if there’s ways to still enjoy it more ethically?

Tablet vs. E-reader: From Creation to Use to Disposal

When considering the environmental impacts of e-readers and print books, there are a lot of factors to consider. For example, size of the book, hardcover vs paperback (paperback is typically more sustainable), etc. For the sake of this comparison, everything is based on the average book; paperbacks roughly 200-350 pages in length. But if you are a big fan of longer books with hardcovers, that is a good factor to consider when personally deciding which is best for you.

In order to get an in-depth view of how different reading methods of choice impacts the environment, we must investigate their whole lifespans, from cradle to grave. We’ll start at the same place a book or tablet’s life starts; production. Upfront, the environmental impact of creating an e-reader vastly outweighs a single paperback. NPR states that due to the extraction of materials to create the devices, like batteries, a process which is very energy and water intensive, “the average e-reader has a carbon footprint of around 80 pounds,”(Veltman). Compared to a standard book, this up front impact vastly outweighs the average physical copy, which has an average upfront footprint of 2.2 pounds of Co2 emissions. 

The publishing industry also has some issues with disposing of books they overstock and cannot sell. This practice is wasteful and contributes to the environmental harm of physical books. However, in recent years, more publishing companies have switched to printing on demand or donating unsold books, lessening this issue slightly (Brendensen). Some publishers have also switched to using recycled paper for printing, although this is not yet the industry norm.

However, beyond production, things start to take a turn towards favoring the e-reader side. Once books or tablets are produced, they must be shipped to your location (Interested in impact of the shipping industry? Check out this article, “Perspectives on shipping emissions and their impacts on the surface ocean and lower atmosphere”). The heavier weight of a physical copy means that transporting it takes more energy to transport, not to mention that if you intend to read multiple books, each will need to be shipped, versus a tablet which only needs to be shipped once.

Back on criticism for e-readers, charging does have to be taken into account. E-readers typically hold their charge for a long time if only used for reading. If you use it for one hour of reading each day, the charge would last about three weeks (Jarvis). Charging a tablet to full power has an average environmental impact of 26 pounds of CO2 each year (Riehl). Source of the energy factors into sustainability as well. Charging e-readers is less of an environmental concern if your energy is supplied through sustainable sources; in Washington, most of our energy, 69%, is hydropower (WA State Dept. of Commerce), making this downside to e-readers less substantial.

Lastly, lifespan and end of life sustainability is important to consider. Books can be functional for decades if well taken care of, while e-readers tend to die off after around three to five years of usage, and then need to be replaced (Roy). The components of paper books are also easier to recycle than e-waste from a tablet, although e-waste recycling technology has been improving a bit over the years.

So what’s the verdict? Well, it ultimately depends on how much you are reading. According to Mike Berners-Lee, author of The Carbon Footprint of Everything, one e-reader has the environmental footprint equivalent of around 36 average sized paperback books; meaning that in its three year lifespan, if you read more than 13 books a year, it is most likely the more sustainable choice. However, if you read less than 13 annually, print is the way to go. Similar findings by Pierre Oliver Roy for NPR found that e-readers are more sustainable if you read an average of 20 or more university textbooks on it over its lifespan of three years. The graph below showcases his findings in more detail, explaining how the number of books read and the way the tablet is used (i.e. for books only or for other purposes) factor into the sustainability.

So there, we have it; people who read large numbers of books could reduce their footprint with an e-reader, and for people who read fewer, print is more sustainable. But, wait! A third (or fourth?!) option has entered the arena! You really thought you could read this library blog post without me mentioning the sustainability of library books? And what about preowned print books?

Second Hand Books:

Used books have significant advantages to both new print and digital. Instead of being disposed of, a new book prevents waste from occurring, extending the story’s lifespan to a whole new owner. There is no concern over emissions from manufacturing, as the emissions already occurred when created for the first buyer. This win-win of both preventing new emissions and lessening waste makes used books more sustainable than both e-readers and new physical books. And, when you factor in transport, things get even better. Most books and tablets are produced, or have components which are produced, from other countries, which need to be assembled and then shipped to your local bookstore or home. Meanwhile, used books are often donated by local people to local book or second hand stores, making the emissions of transport only the distance you and the donor drove to the store (if either party drove at all- taking public transit, walking, or biking to the shop would reduce this even further).

Looking for used books but not sure where to start? Thrift stores are usually the lowest price point, although sometimes they require a little more digging to find titles interesting to you as their donation processing is typically less discerning and selection less organized compared to a designated used book store. Half Price Books is a popular chain with a wide selection (I usually go to their Redmond location and it’s really nice!), but if you want to support small local businesses, here’s some I recommend:

  • Third Place Books, which has three locations in the greater Seattle area; one in Lake Forest Park, one in Ravenna, and one in Seward Park. This is my personal go-to, and they stock a mix of used and new books. Plus the Lake Forest Park location has a bakery right next to it!
  • BookTree in Kirkland, a smaller store near the waterfront which has used and new titles.
  • Ophelia’s Books in Fremont, with new and used books and a shop cat!【≽ܫ≼】.
Source: brewbooks, “Bookstore Cat at Ophelia’s Books”, https://www.flickr.com/photos/brewbooks/417180885/.

You can also exchange books with friends and family, which I always really enjoy as afterwards you get to discuss the book together. Plus this option is very budget friendly!

What about Libraries?

Could there even be a more sustainable option than supporting the circular economy at a local used bookstore? Slightly, if you also consider libraries! Library books are reused by many patrons, allowing books to be circulated dozens of times to different members of the community. The average library book is circulated eight times each year (Talbot). While there is some carbon emissions in the first ordering of a new book for a library, compared to the number of people who get to read it, an average of 40-80 times in the book’s whole lifespan, these emissions of library books are spread out to be much less per person. Some libraries also accept donated used materials for their collections, for instance at the campus library we receive several donated books each year. In this scenario, a book is not only saved from the landfill, but able to recirculate among many library users for several more years. 

The implication for carbon footprint reduction from library user usage of library systems over purchasing their own copies is huge. In 2023 in Washington state public libraries alone, 49,002,399 physical items were circulated (2023 Circulation). That’s 49,002,399 DVDs, books, and magazines that instead of being created new were able to be enjoyed by the public without extra emissions from production and shipping overseas. 

While I think it’s important to stay informed as a consumer, just know that this comparison was all for fun. Whatever format that encourages you to read and learn is the best format for you! Everyone has their reasons for what they choose; some people like to hold a physical book, and some people enjoy the easy transportability of a tablet; some like to collect and curate their own collection, while others like the low stake (and low cost) exploration of the wide variety of books that libraries offer. From an environmental standpoint, there are certainly ways to reduce your consumption if you are a book lover. However, if the pressure to be environmentally perfect prevents you from enjoying your hobbies, my personal philosophy is that you can keep this area of somewhat less environmentally friendly consumption and find other areas in your life to reduce your impact in ways that make sense for you. But if you are a nerd like me, impartial to your format of choice, and curious about ways to make reading a little more sustainable, then I hope you’ve enjoyed this deep dive into the sustainability of books!

Want to dive even deeper into environmentally conscious reading? Check out these resources from the UW Bothell and Cascadia College Library to learn more!

Works Cited

“2023 Circulation and Collection Use” Washington Secretary of State, 2023, https://www2.sos.wa.gov/_assets/library/libraries/libdev/downloads/statistics/23stats/circulation.pdf. Accessed 10 Dec 2024

Brendensen, Macy. “Book Waste: The Dangers of Publishing and the Ethical Consumption of Books.” Chicago Review of Books, 7 Dec. 2023, https://chireviewofbooks.com/2023/12/07/book-waste-the-dangers-of-publishing-and-the-ethical-consumption-of-books/. Accessed December 13th, 2024.

Jarvis, Krystina. “Which has a smaller eco-footprint: Physical Books, eBooks, or Audiobooks?” A Drop in the Ocean, 2 Feb 2023, https://adropintheoceanshop.com/blogs/blog/which-is-more-sustainable-physical-books-ebooks-or-audiobooks. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Muller, Natalie. “Paper book or e-reader: Which is better for the planet?” DW, 23 Feb. 2024, https://www.dw.com/en/paper-book-or-e-reader-which-is-better-for-the-planet/a-68314697. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024

Riehl, Laura. “The Carbon Footprint of Everyday Technology.” Medium, 3 Feb. 2024, https://medium.com/@laurariehl/the-carbon-footprint-of-everyday-technology-57d97db6c2e4. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.

Roy, Pierre-Oliver. “The environmental footprint of paper vs. electronic books.” Anthropocene Magazine, https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2020/08/the-environmental-footprint-of-paper-vs-electronic-books/. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Talbot, Dean. “Impact of Libraries on Book Publishing.” Wordsrated, 28 Feb. 2023, https://wordsrated.com/impact-of-libraries-on-book-publishing/#:~:text=Each%20library%20book%20could%20be,through%20OverDrive%20as%20of%202022. Accessed 10 Dec 2024.

Veltman, Chloe. “What’s better for the climate: A paper book or an e-reader?” NPR, 25 May 2024, https://www.npr.org/2024/05/25/1252930557/book-e-reader-kindle-climate. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Washington State Department of Commerce. “Clean Technology” Choose Washington. https://choosewashingtonstate.com/why-washington/our-key-sectors/clean-technology/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024