How to reduce the weight, cost, and emissions from a book

Image courtesy: Holmen

A book can be a lot lighter and emit a lot less carbon dioxide with the right choice of paper. Switching from woodfree paper to Holmen BOOK will cut costs and reduce the strain on the environment down the line. Would you like to know exactly how much difference it would make? Here's a real example.

Think about the weight of the book, just above one kilo, when holding it in your hand. Then take 40 percent of the weight off, and imagine the difference. A lighter book is both more comfortable to read and easier to carry.

Now think about what it means on a larger scale:

  • Buying 40% less paper
  • Transporting 40% less weight
  • Reducing carbon emissions by 85%

Why switch from woodfree paper?

Reading a printed book increases concentration and enhances memory, according to research. You avoid the interruptions you get a screen, and learning becomes deeper. But the whole industry has been looking for a way to reduce climate impact, and in the early 2000’s many thought that going digital was the way to do it. Now the world has started to realize that digital publishing has an extensive environmental impact.

In the meantime, the paper industry has continued to transform. At Holmen, we started producing Holmen BOOK in 2002, and over the years it has grown into a product family that answers to many different needs on the market – with extremely low carbon footprint. By using a Holmen paper for your production, you can lower the carbon footprint of your books dramatically compared to using a woodfree paper.

Holmen BOOK is a fresh fibre based, mechanical book paper produced at Braviken and Hallsta paper mills in Sweden.