Digital marketing is more sustainable, right?
When you’re asked a seemingly obvious question you suddenly doubt the obvious answer – and that’s never more true here. If you thought it would be more environmentally-friendly to produce a digital brochure rather than a printed one it might be worth a second thought – here’s why.
I recently attended an insightful ‘Think Print’ workshop at Belmont Press and when talking all things ‘sustainability’ was surprised to learn that:
- More paper means more trees!
Seems a bit of an odd claim for sure, but it’s actually true. Paper production leads to forestation as it’s made from soft wood which is planted specifically for paper production. This means that carefully managed, sustainable paper production plays no part in the world’s challenges around deforestation.
- A lusher Europe
Over 80% of the pulp which makes paper used in the UK comes from Europe, perhaps not as far afield as you might have thought? In fact, forests cover almost half of Europe’s land and have increased by 30% since 1950!
- Low carbon footprint
Believe it or not, it is believed by many that print has a lower carbon footprint compared to digital. The paper industry accounts for around 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions which makes it one of the lowest of all industrial emitters, half the emissions generated by data centres. Reading a printed item like a newspaper consumes 20% less carbon than viewing it online.
- High renewable energy
And to top it all, paper and print are among the highest users of renewable, low carbon, energy – suddenly, paper and print feels like it should be back on the marketing plan!
Yebo only uses FSC and PEFC paper accredited printers who help maintain ‘environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world’s forests.’
And it goes beyond paper sourcing – our printers are working hard to become even more eco-friendly, for example, by offer water-based alternatives to the traditionally oil-based paper coatings such as the matt and soft touch laminates.
We are absolutely not saying print everything, as digital has a massive role to play in every marketing mix – but we are saying, ‘Think Print’.
