Are Books Sustainable? A Guide to Reading Responsibly
From the paper they’re printed on to the way they’re shipped across the world, books are like any other consumer good: They require natural resources to produce and distribute.
If you’re an avid reader who also cares about sustainability, you may have some questions. What are publishers doing to reduce their footprint? Where is the best place to buy books? Should you switch to ebooks or audiobooks?
Here’s a look behind the scenes of how books are made, what impact they have, and how to make your love of reading a more sustainable act.
How are Books Made?
Understanding the ecological impact of books starts with knowing how they’re made. The majority of books today are mass-produced on giant presses weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds. These presses are operated by employees, who help ensure quality as the printer moves through each stage of the process.
The biggest resource used in the printing of books is paper — which comes on giant spools before being loaded into the machine. It’s not just a little bit of paper used, either: 32 million trees are used to produce books in the United States. This reduction in trees accounts for nearly half of a book’s overall environmental impact. Ink, too, is an important ingredient in book printing, especially when it comes to printing color covers and books with images or illustrations. Many conventional inks lead to pollution of air, water, and soil, as do the compounds and solvents used in the process.
Once the book pages have been printed, they are then bound with large amounts of glue/ That glue may also be made with toxic chemicals, like hazardous air pollutants (HACs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), some of which can be carcinogenic (among other dangers to human health).
Hardcover books have a cardboard cover attached, while paperback books use a heavier weight of paper. After the cover, books are then added to boxes where they are shipped to distributors via all forms of travel and sold to customers around the world.
While book printing innovation has come a long way from the hand-powered printing press, the massive machines today use a significant amount of energy, not to mention the resources used in the process.
The Environmental Impact of Books
Many people associate book production with deforestation—and that is a major cause for concern. But did you know that the paper production required in bookmaking is also a major contributor to water degradation? Paper mills have long been a source of water pollution, with chemicals and byproducts being released into the streams and rivers nearby. Water contamination isn’t only damaging not only for nearby ecosystems and animals, but also for people who live in the area.
Another aspect of the environmental impact of books: the waste they produce. The EPA states that books and other paper products, like newspapers, are recycled at a rate of around 50%. The other half of books may wind up either composted and made into other paper products, but millions of books wind up in the landfill each year. The saddest part about that is many of the books going to the landfill haven’t even been read.
So how do so many books end up going to waste? One of the major reasons is that the publishing industry has a practice of producing too many books that don’t wind up selling. If a book is anticipated to sell a certain number of copies, for example, a publisher might make those books ahead of time to meet the forecasted demand. And while it would be much more sustainable to print books on demand as they sell, the production and distribution would likely take too long to meet modern customer’s laser-fast delivery expectations.
So, when those extra books don’t wind up selling, retailers can find themselves with an excess amount of books and no place to put them. When that situation arises, shipping the books back to the publisher can incur too much additional cost on behalf of the retailer. So instead of giving them to someone who can use them, the covers are ripped off the books as proof they didn’t sell, and they’re either dumped to the garbage or sent through pulping—a manufacturing process which breaks down paper products to recycle them into new products. This recycling process is better than books being sent to the landfill; however, pulping, like paper production, requires a great deal of water and produces wastewater pollution.
Sustainable Steps in Publishing
Books can negatively impact the environment throughout their lifecycle. Fortunately, some publishers are taking steps to make book publishing more sustainable. For example, John Wiley & Sons uses 100% renewable energy and is carbon neutral certified, and MacMillan went fully carbon neutral in 2017. Harper Collins is using a significant amount of recycled paper, with a 2025 goal of using either all recycled or certified paper ( meaning the paper is certified as responsibly sourced by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®).
You may still wonder why major publishers don’t use all recycled material, or why it’s taking so long to adopt more sustainable practices. It’s because there are many barriers preventing publishing companies from being more green. For example, publishers have stated that recycled materials simply aren’t plentiful enough to use in mass book production, and that the cost to acquire them is too high.
That’s where organizations like the World Wildlife Foundation Forest Forward program can help. Forest Forward exists to help companies that produce paper products learn to reduce their environmental impact. Specifically, this consultancy teaches businesses how to meet their financial goals while also being more sustainable in the process, which negates the argument that sustainable steps are too costly.
Additionally, some organizations are helping authors have a greater say in how their books impact the earth. Tree to Me, created by the Society of Authors, offers free resources to help writers and authors request more sustainable steps from their publisher.
These are just a few examples of what major publishers are doing, and since 80% of all books in the US are created by these major publishers, their sustainability improvements go a long way.
How to Read More Sustainably
Despite the positive sustainability steps of major companies, there is still a great deal of work to be done. We may not have control over how many books publishers produce or what they do with unread books, but as with any consumer good, readers do have a lot of power in which industries and practices they support. How you choose to buy books, in what format, and from whom can make a major difference in reducing the impact of reading.
Audiobooks and eBooks
Switching to audiobooks and ebooks can reduce your personal impact when it comes to reading. The impact of audiobooks is much less than a physical book. While it still takes energy to store them and to charge the devices you use them on, you’re probably using those devices in other ways, anyway.
As for ebooks, It’s obvious that they also don’t use paper, but did you know that e-readers also take up less space when shipping? This reduces the CO2 impact of distribution, especially because they only have to be shipped to you once. E-readers, like other electronics, do emit carbon emissions in their production. But again, your ebook is only being created one time in exchange for many books.
The other truth: Many people just prefer holding a physical book. In that case, there are still ways to be more conscious about where you buy books and what organizations you support in the process.
Local and Used Bookstores
Local bookstores are a great place to find new and used books. Used books, in particular, are one of the best options for sustainable reading, because you’re not contributing to new trees being cut down or supporting industries that add CO2 to the atmosphere.
If you’re seeking a new book, buying from a small bookshop rather than Amazon or another chain retailer can have a positive effect on your local community. IndieBound, a website from the American Booksellers Association, has a search tool where you can find local bookstores near you.
You can also use Bookshop.org to support local bookstores and help them stay afloat as Amazon continues to edge out small shops. Bookshop also has curated lists put together by bookshops and organizations, so it can be a helpful place to find new books to read and discover underrepresented voices or stories you might not otherwise have known about.
Libraries and Library Cards
You’re no stranger to the library, but did you know that you can rent ebooks and audiobooks with your public library card, all without stepping foot inside the actual library?
Libby is an app that takes your library card information and allows you to browse books digitally. You can also add yourself to a waitlist for a popular book, or save books to your wishlist. This is perhaps the most low-impact way to read books, because you’re not contributing to the production of a physical book, and you’re only borrowing something that many other people will read.
Another way to get books from the library is from a library sale. Public libraries and their associated nonprofits often hold book sales seasonally to clean out their inventory and make room for new books. These books have been read multiple times, and you’re supporting your local library in the process. This is also a great way to find books from local authors.
Books are an essential element of human culture, and the stories they tell have the ability to unite us, help us, and heal us. Taking steps to make your own reading more sustainable can ensure that you enjoy these benefits while reducing the major environmental impact of books.
About the Author
Michelle Polizzi is an independent writer and storyteller with 7 years of experience creating content online. Her writing has appeared in leading publications like Bitch, WELL+GOOD, Insider, and Healthline, and she covers topics like sustainable living, mental health, and intersectional feminism. Currently, she's pursuing an MFA in creative writing.
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