Sources
Values change when there are changes in the way the product is made.
Carbon footprints are based on many variable factors - where a product is made, what fuels that energy system uses, how far it has to travel to reach its end destination. For this reason, the carbon footprint of any individual product will change. The numbers provided are overall representations of a format’s carbon footprint to give context about what is generally higher or lower, not individual calculations for your own individual situation.
These comparisons have been made against the full life cycle of each listed format.
Source: https://apps.carboncloud.com/climatehub/
[1] Recycled paper fibres are re-used on average 3.8 times.
https://www.twosides.info/paper-packaging-is-recycled-more-than-any-other-material
[2] In fact, over 70% of fibres used to make paper in the UK are recycled.
https://paper.org.uk/CPI/CPI/Content/Information/Recycling.aspx
[3] Paper is not only recycled into new paper but also into other products from egg boxes, animal bedding or insulation material.
https://www.restore.co.uk/Datashred/Resources/News/what-happens-to-recycled-paper-and-why-is-paper-recycling-important
[4] Europe, on average, 74% of paper is recycled.
https://www.cepi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/WEB-PAGES_EPRC-Monitoring-Report-2020_20210716.pdf
[5] C02 Calculator. Carbon footprint comparisons have been made against the full life cycle of each listed format.
https://www.co2everything.com/category/food
https://www.co2everything.com/category/drinks
[6] Forests represent a proven carbon capture and storage system.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24084-x
[7] 13% of Royal Mail’s overall emissions are from final mile deliveries and the goal is to reduce this to zero through different initiatives including, by Spring 2023, 5000 electric vans (EVs)
https://www.royalmail.com/sustainability/stepstozero/net-zero-deliveries
FAQs exclusively
[8] Using Mail More Sustainably link
https://www.royalmail.com/sustainability/environment/net-zero
[9] Royal Mail Net Zero
https://www.marketreach.co.uk/sites/default/files/sustainability/Marketreach_Sustainability_Guide.pdf
[10] Science based targets
https://sciencebasedtargets.org/faqs#what-are-the-benefits-of-setting-a-science-based-target
https://sciencebasedtargetsnetwork.org/
[11] Carbon footprint of internet comms
https://theshiftproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Lean-ICT-Report_The-Shift-Project_2019.pdf
[12] The pulp and paper industry accounts for 2% of global CO₂ emissions
https://www.iea.org/reports/pulp-and-paper
[13] In Europe the industry only accounts for 0.8% of European greenhouse gases and it is the biggest single user and producer of renewable energy in the EU.
https://www.paperforrecycling.eu/publications/.
[14] Between 2005 and 2020, European forests grew by 58,390 square kilometres – that’s an area bigger than Switzerland and amounts to over 1,500 football pitches every day.
https://www.twosides.info/european-forests/
[15] Carbon storage is further prolonged by recycling paper.
https://thecpi.org.uk/library/PDF/Public/Publications/Other/Myths%20and%20the%20Facts.pdf
[16] A modern recovery boiler, such as Świecie in Poland, can generate up to 100 kilowatt hours of excess electricity per tonne of pulp.
https://www.mondigroup.com/en/newsroom/press-release/2016/a-green-future-for-mondi-%C5%9Bwiecie/
[17] 93% of the water used in the European paper industry is returned in good quality (having been reused within the mill before being suitably treated), with the remainder either evaporated, staying within the product, or bound up in solid waste.
https://www.twosides.info/papers-water-consumption
[18] Mills and bleach usage.
https://www.storaenso.com/-/media/documents/download-center/documents/sustainability/pulp_bleaching_fact_sheet_2017.pdf
[19] Sustainable inks.
https://inside-packaging.nridigital.com/packaging_sep20/eco_friendly_inks_colour
[20] Webmart UK
https://www.webmartuk.com/print-management/
[21] Accenture ‘Circular Advantage’
https://www.accenture.com/t20150523t053139__w__/us-en/_acnmedia/accenture/conversion-assets/dotcom/documents/global/pdf/strategy_6/accenture-circular-advantage-innovative-business-models-technologies-value-growth.pdf
[22] Using Mail More Sustainably Guide
https://www.marketreach.co.uk/sites/default/files/sustainability/Marketreach_Sustainability_Guide.pdf
[23] Scope 1,2,3 emissions
https://plana.earth/academy/what-are-scope-1-2-3-emissions
[24] Circularity: an introduction
https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/glossary
