E-Readers, E-books, E-nvironmentally Friendly?

I am sure we have all come to realize certain difficult truths during our time in quarantine—an inevitable outcome of nearly unlimited and seemingly interminable time for self-reflection and introspection.

One of my big and surprising takeaways from my time in lock-down, in which I found myself with an abundance of free time to read, is my newfound love for my e-reader.

I know, I know, it felt blasphemous to write, let alone say out loud, but it’s true. With the closures of public libraries and my newfound abundance of free time, I turned to my long-scorned e-reader that had sat largely idle and unused on my shelf for years.

After panicking about my lack of access to books upon the closure of my local library and the prospect of being left at home, quarantined with nothing to read, I utilized the free electronic library consortium available to me through my library membership.

I downloaded the Kindle and Libby apps to manage my downloads, and began reading voraciously. Like a real brick-and-mortar library, the e-library I now had access to has a limited number of copies of books, e-books or audio, available at any given time. This left me with some long wait times on hold to access popular titles, but on the flip side, I had access to titles compiled throughout the state as opposed
to the limited availability of my local library. Utilizing electronic libraries enabled me to still access books for free, which is one of my favorite aspects of utilizing libraries in the first place rather than purchasing books I wish to read. However, even with the e-reader, I still had the option of purchasing books through the likes of the Kindle or Nook apps. The titles, both borrowed from the library and purchased, download instantly and can be highlighted and annotated in ways not typically possible with paper-copy library books.

In addition to enabling me to obtain books conveniently without access to a conventional library, I also became interested in the environmental ramifications of my newfound love for my e-reader. While I would hardly consider a print book to be considered “waste” in the traditional sense of the word, I was curious if the amount of resources (paper, energy, shipping, etc.) that go into manufacturing and distributing physical books rendered e-readers the more environmentally friendly and less wasteful option.

Both e-readers and physical books require material inputs, and while the initial inputs and emissions are greater in manufacturing an e-reader than a single print book, over time, e-readers prove to be the less costly (in terms of resource use and emissions) option. A 2009 study featured in the NY Times found that the carbon emitted over an Amazon Kindle e-reader’s life is offset after the first year of use. On average, a single e-reader like the Amazon Kindle, has the ability to offset the purchase of 22.5 individual books every year. The study further suggested that “e-readers could have a major impact on improving the sustainability and environmental impact on the publishing industry, one of the world’s most polluting sectors.”

According to Greenpoint Content + Publishing, the book publishing industry consumes 16 million tons of paper annually, necessitating the harvest of 32 million trees every year. Furthermore, on average, each printed book releases 8.85 pounds of CO2 into the environment in its manufacturing, distribution, and disposal. The newspaper and book printing industries combined emit 44 million tons of CO2 annually, and the process of milling paper for books releases not only CO2, but also nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide into the environment which contribute to smog, acid rain, and global warming. According to the nonprofit Green Press Initiative, it takes approximately seven gallons of water to produce the average printed book whereas it takes less than two cups of water to create a digital book.

However, as with many topics explored on this blog, the potential green impact of e-readers to offset the material inputs and emissions of physical books and print media is dependent largely on our individual habits. Buying every physical book we read brand-new and allowing those books to be read only once before occupying space on our shelves or in a box somewhere for the rest of time is arguably more wasteful than buying a used book, borrowing books from friends or the library, or donating books into re-circulation after reading them. Likewise, frequently upgrading or replacing e-readers can generate hard-to-recycle e-waste and offset any energy / emission saving measures of the device as compared to print books in the long-run.

According to one lifecycle analysis of printed books vs. e-readers cited by the Huffpost, the energy, water, and raw materials needed to make a single e-reader is equal to that of 40 to 50 books. Therefore, in order for your e-reader to be considered less wasteful than the print book alternatives, you need to read more than 50 books over the course of your e-reader’s lifetime.

Ultimately, by renouncing the throwaway culture that pervades our country and imperils our planet, and investing in a single e-reader for long-term use, we can diminish the waste generated by print media in the publishing of print books and news. By capitalizing on the multimedia potential of e-readers as a way to consume books, news, and other media, like magazines, we can greatly reduce the amount of resources (paper, water, and transportation emissions) we are using in our everyday lives—the more we use our e-readers and the longer we use them for, the greater their environmental benefits become. Promoting the development of and investment in sustainable/renewable energy sources, like solar, can also make the electricity required to charge our e-readers less of a factor. E-readers also have a definitive space-saving advantage over print books, which can be conducive to promoting a minimalist lifestyle.

Since starting quarantine in mid-March I have read 10 books, all of them electronically on my e-reader. I have read four issues of Tiny House Magazine, which are all 70 pages or more in length, and I have listened to four audiobooks. My e-reader device is at least five years old and I have no intention to replace it with a newer model. With heavy use and sustained, intentional longevity, I feel that my e-reader has allowed me to reduce my environmental impact by opting out of participating and contributing to the wasteful and harmful practices of the publishing industries.

As a self-proclaimed book lover, I, of course, recognize the intangible aspect of holding a print book in your hands, turning its pages, and relishing the feel of the book—a solid accumulation of words and paper—that cannot be replicated by an electronic device. However, in your journey toward greener living, I urge you to consider and evaluate your reading habits. Whether you decide to read e-books for the rest of your life, feel inspired to donate the collection of print books you have been hoarding but are unlikely to ever read again to your local library or thrift shop, have a newfound resolve to buy or borrow used books rather than ordering new books, or even an inclination to shop at your local bookstore to support local businesses, you can make personalized, greener decisions when it comes to your reading and consumption of print media.

Are you a fan of e-readers? In what ways do you consciously reduce/reuse/recycle when it comes to books or other printed content? Please share in the comments section below, and best of luck on your journey toward greener living.

~Sam