Print has a complicated relationship with environmentalism. The reality is more nuanced — and in some cases, print is more sustainable than digital. Here's the evidence.
Print has a complicated relationship with environmentalism. On one hand, trees are cut down to make paper. On the other, a printed brochure has no ongoing energy cost — unlike a server farm running a website 24 hours a day.
The digital vs print myth
A common assumption is that going paperless is always greener. The evidence doesn’t always support this. The global ICT sector accounts for around 2-3% of global greenhouse gas emissions — comparable to the aviation industry. Data centres, device manufacturing and streaming all add up. A printed document, by contrast, has a fixed carbon cost at production and then none.
Where print genuinely causes harm
- Virgin paper from uncertified sources — contributing to deforestation
- Petroleum-based inks — releasing VOCs
- Single-use print — flyers that go directly in the bin
- Long-distance shipping
- Plastic lamination — making paper unrecyclable
How to reduce the impact
Use FSC certified paper, specify vegetable-based inks, print only what you need, choose local UK suppliers, and avoid plastic lamination. Sustainable print isn’t more expensive — it’s just a matter of knowing where to look.
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