Paper VS Electronic Media
Paper vs. Electronic Media: Work Efficiency and Environmental
Impact
Hirohito Shibata; Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd., 6-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 220-8668, Japan
Abstract
Table 1. CO2 emissions per unit quantity for each product
This presentation quantitatively compares paper and electronic media from the perspectives of CO2 emissions and work efficiency. Should we reject paper out of hand based on environmental considerations? Can electronic reading devices replace paper books for leisure and work? I discuss these issues based on various analyses and experiments.
Product
Introduction
Although the paperless office has been repeatedly dismissed as a myth [1], since 2008, the consumption of office paper in Japan has actually declined. With the advent of electronic reading devices such as Apple’s iPad and the Amazon Kindle, the idea of the paperless office is back in the spotlight. How seriously should we take this second coming of the paperless office? What will happen to paper? What are the relative merits of paper and electronic media? My colleagues and I at Fuji Xerox are currently at work on a research project that seeks to answer these questions.
This presentation consists of two parts. The first part compares paper to electronic media from an environmental perspective, comparing CO2 emissions generated by paper vs. electronic media (e.g., computer displays, projectors) for reading or reference work. I also compare work efficiency for paper vs. computer displays. The second part compares paper books and electronic reading devices (e.g., iPad, Kindle) and discusses whether electronic books might actually take the place of paper books. This paper is a brief report and addresses only the results of these specific analyses and experiments.
Standard
PC
Specifications
Desktop
High-Performance
Desktop PC
17-inch Display
19-inch Display
Notebook PC
Projector
Printer
CPU: Intel Core
Memory: Less
Impact
Hirohito Shibata; Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd., 6-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 220-8668, Japan
Abstract
Table 1. CO2 emissions per unit quantity for each product
This presentation quantitatively compares paper and electronic media from the perspectives of CO2 emissions and work efficiency. Should we reject paper out of hand based on environmental considerations? Can electronic reading devices replace paper books for leisure and work? I discuss these issues based on various analyses and experiments.
Product
Introduction
Although the paperless office has been repeatedly dismissed as a myth [1], since 2008, the consumption of office paper in Japan has actually declined. With the advent of electronic reading devices such as Apple’s iPad and the Amazon Kindle, the idea of the paperless office is back in the spotlight. How seriously should we take this second coming of the paperless office? What will happen to paper? What are the relative merits of paper and electronic media? My colleagues and I at Fuji Xerox are currently at work on a research project that seeks to answer these questions.
This presentation consists of two parts. The first part compares paper to electronic media from an environmental perspective, comparing CO2 emissions generated by paper vs. electronic media (e.g., computer displays, projectors) for reading or reference work. I also compare work efficiency for paper vs. computer displays. The second part compares paper books and electronic reading devices (e.g., iPad, Kindle) and discusses whether electronic books might actually take the place of paper books. This paper is a brief report and addresses only the results of these specific analyses and experiments.
Standard
PC
Specifications
Desktop
High-Performance
Desktop PC
17-inch Display
19-inch Display
Notebook PC
Projector
Printer
CPU: Intel Core
Memory: Less
References: office,” The MIT Press, (2001). media in cross-reference reading for multiple documents, Journal of the Human Interface Society, 12, 3, pg.301, (2010) devices, Proc. CHI '98, pg.241, (1998). University (1994) and his PhD in engineering from the University of Tokyo (2003)