The shift from print to digital communication has accelerated rapidly over the past few decades, largely due to technological advancements.  From emails to social media to cloud storage, this shift has certainly reshaped how we connect, work, and store information, raising important environmental questions. Beneath the convenience and speed of digital platforms lies a growing environmental footprint, driven by the significant energy demands and resource use required to support their underlying infrastructure. While paper is often dismissed as outdated and wasteful, a closer look reveals that its environmental impact may be far less than commonly assumed – and in many cases the more environmentally responsible choice.

The Environmental Impacts of Paper

While paper requires the use of wood, water and energy for its production, North America's paper industry is uniquely committed to sustainable practices, long-term forest health and preserving biodiversity. Certification standards and regulations ensure forests are carefully managed with a focus on responsible harvesting rather than clear-cutting, maintaining healthy ecosystems where trees can regenerate. In fact, no tree is felled solely to produce paper. The vast majority of wood used in North American paper production is residue from tree bark, branches and tree canopy. For example, most of the wood Domtar uses in paper production is sawdust and wood chips that have been discarded by other industries such as construction lumbar, veneer flooring, and more.¹

Certifications like FSC, SFI and PEFC can provide additional assurance that you’re supporting sustainable forestry. Plus, paper is biodegradable and recyclable - nearly 70% of all paper and cardboard are recycled in Canada.²  Ariva’s Reduced to Zero Carbon Neutral Program promotes paper (uncoated, coated, and board) with a significantly low carbon footprint as compared to the industry average equivalent and further offsets the remaining greenhouse gases via local forestry and energy reclamation projects.

While small, paper production does incur a carbon footprint. But even when accounting for transportation, impacts are relatively finite compared to the ongoing energy demands of the digital world. 

The Environmental Cost of Digital Communication

Digital communication relies heavily on energy consumption often powered by fossil fuels. Data centers, servers, and networks consume large amounts of electricity, which grows as more content is streamed, shared, and stored online. The related carbon emissions can be huge, especially in regions where electricity is generated from non-renewable sources. 

While digital platforms can reduce physical waste like paper, they create their own environmental issues – mainly energy consumption and the infrastructure required to keep everything running smoothly.

Lithium Batteries: A Digital Achilles' Heel

A critical but often overlooked component of digital communication is the reliance on lithium-ion batteries. These batteries power our smartphones, laptops, and other devices, but the process of mining lithium (and other minerals) can and has historically lead to habitat destruction, water depletion, and pollution – particularly in the regions where they’re extracted such as in the Atacama Desert in Chile.³ In addition, when these batteries reach the end of their life, improper disposal can lead to hazardous toxic leaks. 

E-Waste

As technology evolves at breakneck speed, our devices quickly become obsolete, creating electronic waste. E-waste often contains hazardous materials like lead, mercury, and cadmium, which can contaminate the environment if not disposed of correctly. While electronic recycling programs are improving, much of the e-waste still ends up in landfills. In contrast, paper is biodegradable and its recycling rates are much higher – roughly 70% for paper and cardboard in Canada3, making it a more sustainable option when it comes to waste management.

Energy Consumption

When comparing energy consumption, it’s best to understand the full lifecycle of both forms of communication. While its production involves raw materials and energy, paper is a relatively localized product, meaning its energy consumption is limited to a specific point in the supply chain.
In contrast, digital communication requires constant energy to power devices, data centers, and servers. Its carbon footprint increases as data transmission, cloud storage, and the use of high-energy-demand devices continues to grow. Even as digital infrastructure becomes more energy efficient, the sheer volume of digital data being processed and stored continues to rise.

Verdict

At the end of the day, both paper and digital communications are essential in the modern world but their ratio is often impacted by the beliefs and perceptions held by decision makers. While digital media may reduce physical waste, its true environmental impacts may not be seen or felt by the user. By embracing sustainably produced paper, we can reduce the environmental impact of communication. Paper remains a key player in a more sustainable future, balancing the needs of modern communication with environmental responsibility.