Carbon footprint of eReaders
CleantechGroup estimates that the total current US market for ebook readers is roughly 1,000,000 units, increasing to 14.4 million in 2012. Of the 1,000,000 units, Kindle comprised 45%, 30% were Sony, and other brands comprised 25%.
While those numbers are interesting, the real focus of the study was to determine the life cycle impact (carbon footprint) of electronic book readers on the environment. After concluding that the number of units in use is too small to have any significant impact on the environment, they did state that “… on average, the carbon emitted in the lifecycle of a Kindle is fully offset after the first year of use.”
The report author, Emma Ritch, states: “Any additional years of use result in net carbon savings, equivalent to an average of 168 kg of CO2 per year (the emissions produced in the manufacture and distribution of 22.5 books).”
A summary of findings can be found here.
Leave a Reply