WITH 1.1% OF THE WORLD'S GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, THE PULP, PAPER AND PRINT IS ONE OF THE LOWEST INDUSTRIAL EMITTERS.
World Resources Institute, July 2009

The main raw material of paper, trees, is a vast carbon store and the prime absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Comparing the precise carbon footprint of the all paper grades is difficult to pinpoint as it depends on how the paper is made and the source of energy used in production. Nuclear, hydro, biomass and geothermal energy, heavily used by some paper making countries, are all low carbon, while fossil-fuels are carbon intensive.

' A sustainably managed forest can be relatively carbon neutral if logging is balanced with re-growth.'
The Sustainable Procurement of wood & Paper products: An introduction. www.sustainableforestprods.org

The pulp and paper industry has reduced the emissions of CO2 per tonne of paper produced by 42% compared to 1990 and down by 8% overall. (7)

Industry research indicates that mail comprises 0.1% of total household CO2 emissions in Europe. The 14 kg of CO2 emitted is the equivalent of:

One 70 km car journey
Five Cheeseburgers
Nine litres of milk
6.6 minutes of transatlantic flight

EMIP, The Facts Of Our Value Chain, 2008

Definition: A Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact that human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, that have arisen through the manufacture and distribution of a product or service.

And in a multimedia world, print & paper may be the sustainable way to communicate.

2% of the UK's current energy requirement is demanded by data centers today. Roughly the same as the airline industry. (8)