All human activity has an environmental impact. The climate impacts of a newspaper, which are described in more detail here or on the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland website, are easier to understand when they are compared with the climate load of other everyday activities. Comparisons between the results of different studies are only indicative, but they help provide a more concrete understanding of how our daily choices impact our environment.
Our examples compare the carbon footprint of basic food items, a slice of cheese and a beef steak, to that of a newspaper. As the figures are from different studies, the comparison is merely indicative. Nevertheless, it is clear that the climate impact of a newspaper is relatively small compared to many other products consumed on a daily basis.
 
In terms of their direct climate effects, i.e. carbon dioxide emissions, a slice of cheese and a daily newspaper are roughly equal. However, a newspaper with inspiring contents may encourage readers to make responsible and sustainable consumption choices, thereby having the indirect effect of curbing climate change.
 
Read more about the climate impact of a newspaper on the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland's Leader Research Project Website and the climate impact of food items on the Meat Information Association  and MTT Agrifood Research Finland websites.