Study on the sustainability of print
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The latest evaluation by the Öko-Institut in Freiburg compared print advertising with digital tools. According to the study, anyone who wants to act and advertise in an environmentally friendly manner should take a close look at their own media consumption and focus more on print.
This is because online advertising performs significantly worse than print advertising in some areas when it comes to greenhouse gas potential. Brochures in particular have a significantly lower carbon footprint than their digital counterparts. This is reported by the associations that commissioned the study: Bundesverband Druck und Medien, Austropapier, dpsuisse, Jorcon b. v., and Verband Druck Medien Österreich.
“Finally, there is scientific confirmation of what the industry has known for a long time: print is more environmentally sustainable than digital advertising,” says Beat Kneubühler, director of dpsuisse. “The new data from the Öko-Institut provides clarity – and refutes the myth of the supposedly green Internet.”
The analysis compares traditional advertising formats such as brochures and newspaper advertisements with their digital counterparts, such as online PDFs and web banners, reports the association. The result is clear: print has a better carbon footprint in all cases examined. While paper production and energy consumption in printing are the main factors affecting the environmental impact of print products, the ecological footprint of digital advertising is caused by servers, networks, and end devices. Reach and paper choice also influence the carbon footprint: brochures or inserts that are read multiple times and recycled paper with FSC certification further improve environmental values.
