ENSULIB Webinar #17: The Environmental Impact of a Book - Understanding for Action

ENSULIB Webinar #17: The Environmental Impact of a Book - Understanding for Action
Date: 24 September 2025 Time: 10:00 am CEST
Speaker: Benoît Moreau

Benoît MOREAU is the founder of Ecograf, a French-based consultancy specialised in environmental issues for the international graphic arts industry. Benoît has been working on these topics for 25 years. Benoît carried out one of the first evaluation of the carbon footprint of a book in 2007. He works at European level for book and magazine publishers and printers. He holds masters degrees in geosciences from l’Institut Français du Pétrole, and in International Affairs from the Sorbonne.

1. IFLA/ENSULIB WEBINAR SERIES PRESENTS The Environmental Impact of a Book Understanding for Action Brought to you by ENSULIB, IFLA‘s Environment, Sustainability and Libraries Section Wednesday, 24 September, 2025 10 am CET

2. About the Webinar Series Priscilla Pun Secretary , ENSULIB Section of IFLA; Head of Technical Process Unit, University of Macau Library, Macao, China. E-mail :   [email protected]

3. Privacy This event is being recorded, including chat. ​ The video will be posted on YouTube and the video link will be posted on ENSULIB’s webpage and on social media . ​ Microphones have been muted for this event. ​ Comments: Please type into the chat Q&A: The Q&A session will follow the presentation. Please type questions into the Q&A box. The talk is GDPR-compliant ​ IFLA and ZOOM privacy policies: ​ https://www.ifla.org/data-protection-policy ​ https://zoom.us/privacy Questions regarding privacy [email protected]

4. Session Introduction Antonia Mocatta Chair, ENSULIB Section of IFLA; Director of Operations and Engagement, University of Sydney Library, Sydney, Australia . E-mail :   [email protected]

5. Speaker Benoît Moreau Founder of Ecograf , Paris, France E-mail : [email protected]

6. 24/09/2025 The Environmental Impact of a Book Understanding for Action

7. Who I am … French consultant specializing in the graphic industry and environmental issues. Based south of Paris, France. 25 years working on this topic in France and across Europe (with a few projects in India). Half my work is with printers (books, packaging, magazines, labels) — Imprim’Vert (France) & the ClimateCalc tool (EU). The other half is with paper buyers (book/magazine publishers, insurers, production agencies) — GHG reporting, paper policy, and a tool to assess GHG emissions of printed products.

8. Goals of this webinar Identify the main environmental impacts of book production. Understand actions taken by the graphic ecosystem to reduce impacts (European examples). Highlight what to consider next and the biggest challenges ahead. These are my practical views from Europe. Treat this as a personal account, not a universal truth — several points are open to discussion.

9. Pulp & Paper

10. Step 1/ Forest management ©Ecograf

11. Step 1/ Forest management ©Le Monde

12. Step 1/ Forest management Environmental impacts Deforestation — while not fully resolved, it does not seem to be the main impact. Biodiversity — no plant biodiversity means no animal biodiversity. Carbon storage — may decrease with climate change; is it better to keep trees standing or harvest and replant? Challenges Wood availability for the paper industry: declining due to fires, disease and pest insects, and competition for uses (e.g., energy). Solutions FSC & PEFC certification; new EU regulation (EUDR). Recycled paper — not always suitable for every product (e.g., some books).

13. Step 2/ Pulp & Paper production © GoogleMap

14. Step 2/ Pulp & Paper production © GoogleMap

15. Step 2/ Pulp & Paper production Environmental impacts Energy use. Water use. Air and water emissions. Challenges Energy cost and availability (should biomass be used for pulp/paper or for green energy?). Water availability — even if net consumption is limited, mills need water; plus, flood risks (many mills are near rivers). Solutions Strong manufacturer commitment and continuous improvement.

16. ©CEPI 2025 ©CEPI 2025

17. Paper Profiles

18. Carbon Profiles

19. Step 3/ Transport © Ophal ©Ecograf ©Ecograf

20. Location of paper mills supplying a Spanish printer (one Chinese mill not shown) Step 3/ Transport- example © GoogleMap

21. Step 3/ Transport Environmental Impacts Carbon emissions Air pollution Challenges Volatile international markets Transport costs seems underestimated ( environmental impacts not fully internalized ) Solutions Slow down and plan to optimize loads and routes Be creative with logistics

22. Printing

23. Printing ©Ecograf ©Ecograf ©Ecograf

24. Printing Environmental Impacts Ink composition: mineral oil , non- renewable pigments, plastics (UV) Energy use Waste management Challenges Paper price trends Competition from digital solutions Solutions Optimize paper use to reduce waste Save energy Improve workshop organization Use a full-cost approach, not just the unit price — include environmental impacts.

25. ©Ecograf ©Ecograf ©Ecograf ©Ecograf ©Ecograf ©Ecograf

26. Distribution

27. Distribution Environmental Impacts Cumulative impacts of the whole chain. End of life Challenges Overproduction and unsold copies Distribution organization Solutions Sales monitoring Print on demand (?) Be creative — current models may be reaching their limits.

28. Carbon footprint of Books

29. CO 2e Emissions/ Manufacturing-level breakdown

30. CO 2e Emissions/ Value-Chain Breakdown

31. Carbon Footprint Average 2,5 kgCO 2e per kg of book on average In France, a common assumption is 3 books per kg, About 800 gCO 2e / per copy on average . Source: https://impactco2.fr/outils/comparateur

32. Printed book Vs Digital

33. Number of books read per year Tablet Dedicated tablet E-reader Printed book- single use Printed book- 2 uses Printed book- 5 uses Printed book vs Digital options 1 novel of 300 pages = 6.2 hours of reading / 3 Mo

34. Comparison of environmental results across scenarios for the Functional Unit “reading a 300-pages novel in France in 2020.” Tablet Dedicated tablet (4.5 books/ year ) E-reader (4.5 books/ year ) Printed book- 2 uses Climate Change Fine particulate matter Mineral & Metal resource use Acidification Freshwater ecotoxicity Ionizing radiation Water use

35. Benoît MOREAU [email protected] Thank you for your attention. Questions?

36. Q&A Session Facilitators Please type your questions in the Q&A chat box. Antonia Mocatta Director of Operations & Engagement, University of Sydney Library Email:   [email protected] Priscilla Pun Head of Technical Process University of Macau Library Email:  [email protected]

37. Thank you for joining