there is a story behind every book
28th October 2021
Jellybooks wanted to gain a detailed understanding of the carbon footprint of sending out either print books or digital books to readers.
We partnered with BeZero and several publishers to conduct an in-depth study of four books with book reviewers in different geographic locations.
The study finds that the carbon footprint of the four books studied ranged from 0.9 kg CO2e to 36.5 kg CO2e for each unique copy received by a book reviewer in London.
On average across the four books included in the study, a reader in London would emit between 95% and 99.7% fewer greenhouse gases by opting to read books to be reviewed on a digital device they already owned rather than reading the same book in print.
Looking at digital devices, reading with an iPad is environmentally friendlier than reading with a laptop or PC due to the iPad’s lower energy consumption.
A reading device has its own carbon footprint and if an iPad Pro is purchased for the specific purpose of reading books, the reader would need to read at least 47 books to compensate for the carbon footprint involved in the manufacturing and distribution of the device itself.
Quantitative studies of the environmental footprint of ebooks have been rare and the majority of such studies have focused on the carbon footprint of eReaders.
In the spring of 2021, Jellybooks collaborated with BeZero to quantitatively study the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the process of book publishers sending review copies to reviewers in the trade.
UK publishers DK, Cambridge University Press, Pan Macmillan and Barbican Press participated in this study with Innovate UK and Arts Council England providing financial support.
The study focused on the carbon footprint of four very different books and how the carbon footprint would change if a reviewer located in London, New York City or Sydney requested and read a book in electronic form, rather than in printed form.
It is important to note that the carbon footprint for each book included in this study is NOT a reflection of the green credentials of the respective publisher because factors such as size and weight of each book, its format and the number of illustrations play a major role. We deliberately chose four very different kinds of books that represented different formats and product types common in book publishing.
Review copies are also called advance reading copies (ARCs) and are sent to booksellers, journalists and influencers by publishers in advance of publication date to generate early reviews for a new release. This is a crucial workflow and activity undertaken by publishers large and small to market and sell new releases.
The cost of sending physical review copies can be substantial and, unfortunately, often very wasteful because many review copies are sent out unsolicited or go unread by the recipient.
For this study, BeZero built a proprietary model to perform a high-level assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions created by printed publications and their electronic equivalents. The GHG emissions for each of the four printed books were estimated via a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using a cradle-to-grave approach. LCAs are the most rigorous methodology available for assessing the environmental impacts associated with all the stages of the life cycle of a commercial product, process, or service.
The key variables in the BeZero model were the weight of the final book, the specific manufacturing process, the supply chain, the location of the reader and the type of device used to read the digital version.
Books from four UK publishers – DK, Cambridge University Press, Pan Macmillan and Barbican Press – were individually assessed as distinct case studies.
Whenever possible, real-world data for each book was used, in line with the Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. In the event that real-world data was unavailable, secondary sources and industry data were used.
GHGs were calculated in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent (kg CO2e), a common unit that standardises additional greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide to units equivalent to carbon dioxide. For context, one kg CO2e is roughly equivalent to burning half a kilogram of coal or about one-sixtieth of a tree, grown over a ten-year period (EPA 2021).
The study finds that the carbon footprint of the four books studied ranged from 0.9 kg CO2e to 36.5 kg CO2e for each unique copy received by a book reviewer in London.
By contrast, reading the same books on an electronic device produced between 0.3 g CO2e and 777 g CO2e. For instance, a UK-printed book read by a London- based reviewer had on average an estimated carbon footprint of 3 kg CO2e. Reading digitally on a typical UK-powered iPad emits only 0.008 kg CO2e (a saving of 99.7% in GHG emissions). Put differently, reading a typical printed book is the equivalent of reading 374 digitally.
On average across the four books included in the study, a reader in London would emit between 95% and 99.7% fewer greenhouse gases by opting to read an advance review copy on a digital device they already owned rather than reading the same book in print.
Looking at digital devices, reading with an iPad is significantly better for the environment than reading with a laptop or PC due to the latter’s much higher energy consumption.
A reading device has its own carbon footprint and if an iPad Pro is purchased for the specific purpose of reading books, the reader would need to read at least 47 books to compensate for the carbon footprint involved in the manufacturing and distribution of the device itself.
Thus where the reader has no suitable device or is an infrequent reader, print books are still the environmentally friendlier option. This is particularly true in the case of print books being gifted. A print book makes a far better gift than a Kindle ebook reader that might only be used rarely by the recipient. Earlier studies found that up to a third of Kindles gifted were not used once by the recipients.
It is important to underscore the role that the location of manufacturing sites plays in overall GHG emissions of the printed books because it can often dictate which types of raw materials are available, how much transportation is needed across the supply chain, and the GHG emissions associated with different stages in the manufacturing processes.
In particular, the carbon intensity of electricity can vary widely between different countries, meaning that it can be significantly “cleaner” to operate in one country versus another. Running a process powered by electricity in China could emit 289% more GHG emissions than if the exact same process were run in Slovakia, based solely on the difference in the energy mix powering these electric grids.
Significant carbon savings can also be achieved by the book trade embracing digital reading more widely for advance reading copies. This applies in particular to booksellers. Embracing ebooks for reading advance copies, is less wasteful and environmentally friendlier than requesting advance reading copies that have to be disposed or pulped (they cannot be resold, as they are not the final product and are never intended for resale).
The same also applies to reader magazines, sales catalogues and similar for which highly advanced digital versions now exist. See for example The 2021 Booker Prize magazine created by Jellybooks in cooperation with The Booker Prizes.
When publishers send review copies to booksellers and the media on a speculative basis, they should do so only using digital copies, reserving print copies, for those who explicitly request them.
Jellybooks, a leading publishing technology and software company, operates a very affordable review copy service based on the Jellybooks Cloud Reader that provides one-click cloud hosted access to review copies. Currently publishers can try it for free for up to five unique titles.
Jellybooks and Blackwell’s Books have been cooperating since spring to make online samples available to book buyers in the form of a “peek inside” feature. As part of this collaboration the two companies will also work together to make advance reading copies available to booksellers and selected readers in electronic form.
Using cloud-based links, advance reading copies can be incorporated in mail and text messages, newsletters and information sheets. Cloud hosted review copies can be also sent out to far more recipients without increasing cost or waste.
There are significant cost savings in printing and distribution for publishers, as well, in using digital review copies rather than printed ARCS.
The full report is available, using the Jellybooks Cloud Reader via this link: https://www.jellybooks.com/cloud_reader/catalogues/bezero-jellybooks-carbon-footprint-report.
“Pan Macmillan was delighted to participate in this study, using Isabella Tree's 'Wilding' as a case study. The report contains important insights and learnings for Pan Mac and the book publishing industry as a whole.”
Jeremy Trevathan, Managing Director, Macmillan Adult Division
“We were delighted to partner with Jellybooks in this study, as it perfectly aligns with our other initiatives around understanding the carbon intensity of our print supply chain and online hosting. The results are fascinating and will help us with our ongoing analysis of how to reduce our environmental impact. Cambridge University Press & Assessment has committed to being carbon zero on all energy-related emissions by 2048, with a 72 per cent reduction by 2030.”
Tristan Collier, Channel Marketing Partner for Cambridge University Press
“We wish to thank all our publishing partners who participated in this study. We think it contains valuable carbon reduction information for all publishers and booksellers and we are working with our clients and partners to help them digitize and improve their workflows.”
Miles Poynton, Product and Publisher Engagement Manager, Jellybooks
“DK was very pleased to support Jellybooks with this important research. As part of Our Green Pledge, we are working towards becoming climate neutral by 2030 and this quality data provides valuable insights into the environmental impacts across a broad variety of products, which is vital to achieving our ambitions.”
Shaun Hodgkinson, Chief Operating Officer, DK