Amazon’s Kindle greens reading, new report says

Using e-readers can shrink your carbon footprint, according to a new study out of the Cleantech Group that focuses primarily on the Amazon Kindle. Globally, use of e-readers bought between 2009 and 2012 could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10.9 million tons over the four years, it says.
Because e-readers are relatively new, with a little over 1 million in the field, it’s impossible to determine their long-term environmental impact. But early analysis indicates that one year of use may be enough to offset the emissions the devices produce in manufacturing, distribution and operation. If true, each following year of use could actually be preventing the release of 370 pounds of carbon dioxide per user (assuming individuals buy about 22.5 books a year).

Considering that publishing is one of the most environmentally damaging industries in the U.S., e-reader business could make a difference if it can gain traction. Amazon and Sony are leading the pack, so far, with mobile players gaining an edge as well. At this rate, the Cleantech report predicts that as many as 14.4 million people will be using e-readers by 2012. At the same time, there are no guarantees that publishers will scale back paper book production in correlation with an increase in e-readers, which would render any emissions savings moot.
There are a few other notable points to be found in the report. For example, driving to a store to buy a book doubles its footprint (which averages 16.4 pounds of CO2) — a chunk that downloading books online or straight to a device eliminates. It also touches on the impact of the Apple iPhone, which is playing a much larger role in the business than many suspect. The phone has already introduced more users to e-reading than Amazon and Sony combined, the report states — citing that the Kindle application for the 3G has been downloaded more than 1 million times. But using your iPhone or any other mobile device to read isn’t as green as using an actual e-reader device that that uses e-ink without backlighting. The iPhone’s carbon footprint is substantially larger both from manufacturing and day-to-day operation.
The Cleantech Group made some recommendations based on the data it collected — primarily that companies publishing to e-readers should make their books compatible for all devices so that more consumers will feel comfortable buying them sooner. Other than that, it encourages academic institutions to integrate e-readers into classrooms, mentioning pilot programs at Princeton, the University of Virginia and Arizona State University.
Also interesting is the data on exactly how destructive the publishing industry is today. Last year, the book and newspaper businesses in the U.S. led to the cutting of 125 million trees and the production of 153 billion gallons of wastewater — with paper eventually accounting for over a quarter of landfills in the country.
[Images courtesy of Driving Change and the Cleantech Group]