Is sustainability digital or paper?

At the word ‘pollution’ do you think of smoking chimneys, smog-clogged streets and plastic oceans? You are not wrong. However, there is something less tangible, less visible but omnipresent in our lives whose ecological impact should not be underestimated .

We are talking about the Internet.

Digital communication appears to us to be light on the environment and free of consumption, while we are told that the physicality of paper is a waste. The virtual world always seems preferable then, but is it really so?

The environmental cost of the internet

Everything that happens online has a cost, also in terms of sustainability.

It is estimated that the web consumes 10% of global electricity. Our devices, wireless networks and the gigantic data centres that support the internet consume energy, to produce which a certain amount of greenhouse gases are emitted, the main contributors to global warming and thus climate change.

To gain a deeper understanding of the pollution caused by the internet, it is useful to remember that the consumption of the digital world is mainly due to activities related to:

• Data centres: large physical archives are needed to store computer data. The cloud is less ethereal than we think: it is actually a collection of huge computers constantly switched on that get so hot that they need massive cooling systems to avoid melting down. In the US, for example, data centres consume 2% of all the country’s energy.

• Websites: a very linear and simple site consumes 0.24 g of CO2 per visit; one consisting of videos and heavy images consumes 10.08 g. If we multiply these figures by 1.83 billion, i.e. the number of websites in the world today, we can see how the virtual world is not so sustainable.

• Cryptocurrency: According to recent studies, BitCoin is responsible for 22 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year, consumption comparable to that of entire nations such as Jordan. A huge amount of energy is required to perform the ‘proof of work’, the algorithm behind blockchain transactions. Energy that rarely comes from renewable sources, but rather from fossil fuels.

• Video streaming: The playback of video content generates 300 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, and this is equivalent to1% of all global emissions. Are you wondering why so much waste? Consider that a lot of energy is required by both the device that plays the video and the servers that distribute the content.

• Online shopping: We buy more and more while thinking less and less. In addition to the obvious consumption of e-commerce and websites, we must also remember the packaging that is becoming considerably more robust (92% of products shipped are made of paper and cardboard) and the emissions caused by the constant delivery of goods to our homes. The pandemic has given a further major boost to the world of online buying and selling, and the need to find sustainable solutions for their production and recovery is becoming more and more pronounced.

• Electronic waste: less metaphysical and more obvious to our eyes is the issue of e-waste. According to the UN Global E-waste Monitor, 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste were generated in 2019, more than 7 kilos for every inhabitant of the planet. We are used to replacing and changing our devices at an ever-increasing pace, but we tend to forget that the toxic and obsolete techno-masses produced by this system are very costly to recycle. This is why they are rarely disposed of in a circular way. Now, a comparison arises. Between digital and analogue content, which is the greener choice? The following paragraphs will outline how a simple everyday action such as reading can have very different outcomes in terms of sustainability depending on the chosen medium.

Digital

• WE READ: a screen consumes energy, as does the network and servers used in the action of reading;
• WE DO NOTREAD: digital communication consumes energy even when it is not read. In fact, the storage of data and its perpetual availability is possible thanks to the work of 8 million data centres worldwide;
• WE READMORE:new energyisconsumed, lost forever;
• WE READ NO MORE: end-of-life servers, networks and digital devices pose numerous obstacles to their recycling and pose a risk to the environment.

Paper

• WEREAD: when we read on paper, no energy is wasted;
• WEDO NOT READ: we do not read and we do not consume;
• WE READ AGAIN: we can read the same book, the same newspaper countless times, without emitting any more carbon dioxide;
• WEDON’T READ ANYMORE: paper is made of natural and renewable raw materials; it is biodegradable, compostable and recyclable.

Digital communication therefore stands as linear. Without forgetting that its dematerialisation offers a consumption that is not perceptible, and consequently more prone to waste. The materiality of paper, on the other hand, allows it to be a circular tool and helps us above all to perceive its consumption, leading us to a more careful and conscious use.

The circular economy of paper

The paper, printing, packaging and converting chain is rightfully among the leading industrial sectors in the circular economy, representing acontribution to the ecological transition and the development of even more efficient, sustainable and technological industrial models. Between 2020 and 2021, the strong push of e-commerce and hygiene concerns for packaged food products have accentuated the need to find sustainable solutions for production and recovery.

The focus on a conscious choice therefore corresponds to an increased use of paper, which is an ethically and ecologically sound option. Paper and cardboard rank high among consumer preferences because they combine safety and sustainability.

Also in the area of communication, packaging is confirmed as a primary element that can define the perception of a product’s sustainability.Eco-design for environmental and social good is becoming increasingly important in projects where the selection of materials plays an increasingly decisive role: paper itself becomes a communication tool.

Can digital be sustainable?

If, on the other hand, the virtual world remains unavoidable for us, it only takes afew small steps to make a much more conscious use of it.

For example, choosing hosting services and servers that run on renewable energy (i.e. not dependent on fossil fuels) is the most effective and easy-to-implement individual choice. Opting for less obsolete devices and changing our smartphones and laptops less frequently is an equally ecological alternative. Website design can also make its own contribution to the environmental revolution: opting for a more linear design and making each web page lighter can lead to lower consumption while at the same time exploiting a fast and accessible user experience. We can therefore conclude that the tangibility of digital technologies has by no means disappeared, but is just less evident.

Everything we do emits greenhouse gases and pollutes, it is true, but we should not give up. Being aware of the ecological impact of our actions is the first step: the second is to constantly seek and implement the best solutions to limit the damage as much as possible. Cristina M. Nicole C.