Digital vs. Paper: Green Guilt

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12 Jul, 2021

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07.12.2021

How storing information on paper or online impacts the environment… Green Guilt!

Every action, whether printing a document or saving it to the cloud, impacts the environment.

As Covid-19 crisis sequestered us to live and work through screens, printing documents to ease the strain on screen-tired eyes has become appealing. The world rapidly shifted to remote working, learning, and living; the questions regarding everyday technology products’ impact on the environment came to center stage. Now, as we slowly exit the worst of the Covid-19 crisis, and the dust is settling, it is time to reflect on our usage decisions and evaluate which option is greener, and when. The tangled complexities of business practices, record-keeping laws, and the cost of maintaining information all impact our decisions.

Look at the Lawyers

To understand the environmental impact of paper usage, an example of a typical law firm is key. By their very nature, law firms use more paper than any other sector. The average lawyer uses anywhere from 20,000 to 100,000 pieces of copy paper annually. On the higher end, that’s nearly 50 pages an hour. Lawyer’s don’t do this because they’re anti-green, there are strict record-keeping laws. Digital record keeping of important documents, such as motions, are secondary to the numerous paper copies required. These copies held by the law firm are not only mandatory for them, these copies must also be held by the courts, the opposing law firm, and any other involved parties. This literally produces stacks of boxes of paper.

If the aforementioned lawyer were to relocate the 100,000 paper file online, it would require at least 10 GB (inclusive of back-up and additional space). A multi-lawyer law firm would require 10 GB per lawyer. To put this in perspective, this is equivalent to 500 hours of internet browsing, 64 hours of music streaming, 80 app downloads, or 2,5000 downloaded songs.

The Environmental Impact of Both Options

Although law firms are an extreme example, the average office worker still uses approximately 10,000 pieces of paper a year. Shockingly, 45% of this paper ends up in the trash by the end of the day. A typical S-Corporation spends an annual $120 Billion (USD) on printed forms. 70% of businesses would fail within three weeks if they were to experience a catastrophic loss of paper due to a natural disaster.

This information provides a foundation to analyze the macro-level impact of typical business consumption. The world produces 300 tons of paper every year. This requires upwards of 15 billion trees to be cut down annually.

Paper production doesn’t only kill trees, according to Toner Buzz, “Pulp and paper is the third-largest air, water, and land polluter among all industries in both Canada and the US.

The pulp and paper industry releases over 100 million kilograms of toxic pollution every year….Paper manufacturing produces nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides, which contribute to acid rain, and carbon dioxide…” These statistics are scary, but prior to jumping on the digitalization train, it’s important to understand the impact of a transition to digitalization as well.

The Global Information & Communication Technology (ICT) system has a massive and negative impact, so bad that it’s in the same sphere as the entire aviation industry’s fuel emissions. Both the carbon footprint from our gadgets and the airline industry are both estimated to be between 2% to 3.7% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Even more worrisome, these emissions are predicted to double by 2025 for both industries.

How do websites and digital storage pollute the environment? The information must be stored somewhere; these data centers gobble up electricity, often powered by fossil fuels. There’s a price for every decision.

Going Green

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed (and horrified) after being presented with all this information. Fear won’t fix climate change, acceptance and action will. Here are some things you can do both as a consumer and business to mitigate the environmental impact you have.

Here you can calculate how much digital storage you need based on your paper files if you’re looking to make a transition
Click here to calculate your website’s carbon footprint
Tips for your website from Ben Clifford, Founder and Director of erjjio studios
- Check to see if your website is hosted in a data center that uses fossil fuel electricity or renewable energy
- For more tips and detailed explanations, read this
Check out the Green Web Foundation for a complete list of green website hosts
Tips as a consumer from Ben Clifford, Founder and Director of erjjio studios
- Delete emails that you won’t need again, to prevent them being stored unnecessarily
- Unsubscribe from email newsletters and mailing lists that you never read
- Delete apps on your phone that you don’t use
- Delete redundant screenshots and photos from iCloud or other cloud drives
- Use your phone for quick internet searches instead of a laptop, it requires less energy
Check out Ecosia, a search engine that plants trees!

Making the Choice

Consumers and businesses don’t necessarily have to decide whether to be fully online or paper-based. Using the calculators and resources in this article, more informed decision making is possible. If you’re interested in entire digitalization, continue to research positive opportunities such as green web hosts to start.

If law requires you to keep paper copies, see where you can buy paper made from recycled materials as opposed to trees. With mounting complexities in situations such as these, often, there is no perfect answer. What we can do is enforce a collective and action-oriented effort towards mitigating our detrimental impact.

Ask yourself the following:

Do I really need to print that? If so, can I do it with recycled paper? A clear power source?
Am I using clean, renewable energy to host my website, personal files, and company information?
How do my emails, texts, and social media interaction impact the planet? Is it really worth it?

Sources

Image

Pixabay

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15 Comments

Sarah on 05 Sep, 2021 at 12:40

Crazy thing that not only lawyers follow the principle of double documentation though paper and clouds but that our governments do so as well …. Is that really necessary?
Reply
- Komoneed on 11 Sep, 2021 at 13:22
  
  Thanks for your comment! There are certain countries which have begun to change this “historic” behaviour
  Reply
Anna on 05 Sep, 2021 at 12:42

Another point to mention here is that the use of paper instead of cloud also effects the level of productivity in offices. Having to search for documents in endless folders and files stored at the office takes up so much time !
Reply
- Komoneed on 11 Sep, 2021 at 13:27
  
  Thanks for your comment! That’s true… a big truth!… It is an inherited behaviour that we must change… technology is moving faster than our ways of doing things.
  Reply
Lily on 06 Sep, 2021 at 22:14

I love the resources – thank you for providing such a hands-on approach!
Reply
- Komoneed on 14 Sep, 2021 at 12:49
  
  You are very welcome! Hope to see you back soon!
  Reply
Issac Benjamin on 25 May, 2023 at 21:13

Title: Going Green: A Simple Switch or a Complex Dilemma?

Comment: Hey folks, just stumbled upon this article on the digital vs. paper debate and couldnt resist chiming in! 🌿💻📄

So, lets talk about Look at the Lawyers – who knew they had so much impact on our paper usage? 😅 But seriously, its fascinating how our choice of technology affects different professions.

The Environmental Impact of Both Options – well, isnt that a can of worms? 🐛 Its hard to determine which is truly greener. Maybe we should consider the whole life cycle of each option before making judgments.

Now, on to Going Green – its noble and all, but can we really make a significant difference by just going digital? 🌎 I mean, there are so many other ways we can contribute to saving the planet, right?

Lastly, Making the Choice – oh boy, thats a tough one! Its like choosing between two evils, but in an eco-friendly way. 🤔 Maybe we can find a compromise that balances convenience and sustainability?

In the end, its all about finding what works best for us individually, without getting overwhelmed by green guilt. Lets keep the discussion going, folks! 🌿💪💬
Reply
- hello@komoneed.com on 26 May, 2023 at 03:13
  
  I totally agree with you! Its a complex issue with no easy answers. Going digital may not be the ultimate solution, but its a step in the right direction. Lets keep exploring different ways to be eco-friendly without feeling overwhelmed.
  Reply
Killian on 28 May, 2023 at 18:04

Who needs trees when we have digital? Save paper, save the planet! 🌍🌳 #TeamDigital
Reply
Angel on 03 Jul, 2023 at 17:11

Comment:

I dont care if its digital or paper, as long as its not avocado toast. 🥑📱📄
Reply
Felicity Roman on 11 Nov, 2023 at 09:24

Comment: I say lets all become tree-hugging digital warriors and save the planet! 🌳💻
Reply
- Lawson on 11 Nov, 2023 at 13:24
  
  Oh please, like tweeting about saving the planet is actually making a difference. Instead of being a keyboard warrior, how about getting your hands dirty and actually planting some trees? Actions speak louder than emojis. 🌱
  Reply
Colby on 12 Nov, 2023 at 20:14

I dont care what anyone says, Im sticking with good old paper books! 📚🌳
Reply
- Leyla on 13 Nov, 2023 at 06:14
  
  To each their own, but Im all for embracing the convenience and versatility of e-books. No more lugging around heavy books, damaging trees, or limited storage space. Plus, with adjustable fonts and built-in dictionaries, reading has never been easier. Give it a try! 📱🌍
  Reply
Grant on 13 Nov, 2023 at 20:57

Well, I guess Ill throw my two cents in. Who needs paper anyway? #TeamDigital
Reply