In yesterday’s post we addressed a few of the reasons how the print and paper industry are continuing to prove to be an environmentally friendly industry.  Today, we are going to discuss some additional statistics regarding the environmental impact of print and paper.

One of yesterday’s stats pointed out that only 11 percent of the trees harvested are used for paper production.  So what are the rest of the harvested trees used for?  The majority (53 percent) are utilized for producing energy and 28 percent are used in sawmills.

Direct mail is one of the printed products that seems to have a bad reputation when it comes to its environmental impact.  But, the truth is, of the direct mail pieces that are sent out to millions of Americans each day, 70 percent of them are recycled. What’s more is that 51.5 million tons of paper were recycled in the last year.  Paper is a renewable resource and print has a one-time only carbon footprint.  But unfortunately most of our electronic waste (up to 80 percent) is shipped overseas and unsafely dismantled.

Again, we stress that both the print and the digital industries have their environmental impacts.  As consumers, it is important for us to be aware of the impacts and make smart decisions when using all products regarding the environment.  When using print and paper, be sure to recycle the product when you’re finished and once your old computer or iPod is no longer of use to you pass it down to a family member or friend – or ensure it’s dismantled in a safe way.