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The perennial problem of unopened mail and its impact on the environment is one that has long bothered sustainability campaigners.
Industry thought leaders state that 44 percent of all junk mail is thrown in the trash, unopened and unread. It is expected that each person in the United States alone will receive almost 560 pieces of junk mail in 2009, which adds up to around 4.5 million tons in one year alone.
Added to this, around 40 percent of the solid waste in landfills is paper and paperboard waste. By the year 2010, this figure is predicted to make 48 percent.
These certainly are shocking figures, which is why many businesses, and institutions like banks, are promoting preventative measures such as electronic statements and bills as the “green” alternative for their customers.
On the surface, this makes sense. Making a simple change such as sending a statement notice via e-mail instead of printing it out and mailing, should reduce the amount of documents printed, as well as the actual cost of printed output. Plus an e-mail has a relatively simple creation cycle, from data to implementation. Right?
Wrong.
We should question how much impact Web sites promoting electronic statements because they save trees are really making on the environment. Or is this a case of “green washing,” where companies talk more about “going green” than doing the hard work?
The reality is that while electronic statements save paper waste, they also have a negative impact on the environment. We must always consider the full life cycle of an electronic statement all the way from the silicon fab through to the data center, via e-mail through to the e-waste crisis that is rising to the fore.
Paper vs. Electronic Statements
The good news is that electronic statements are becoming more sustainable, one data center at a time. New innovations such as renewable energy sources, server virtualization and e-waste take-back programs are truly making a difference when it comes to the environmental impact of an electronic statement.