Books and Printed Media

Material Composition Assumptions

The default reference product is a standard paperback book (~300 pages, ~0.4 kg), composed of:

• Text block paper: Uncoated woodfree or book-weight paper (60-90 g/m²), approximately 0.30-0.35 kg. Typically virgin or partially recycled fiber.
• Cover: Coated cardstock (250-350 g/m²) with laminate film (OPP or matt/gloss varnish), approximately 0.03-0.05 kg.
• Binding: PUR or EVA hot-melt adhesive (perfect binding), approximately 3-5 g.
• Printing ink: Offset lithographic ink (petroleum or vegetable-oil-based), approximately 2-5 g applied to paper surfaces.
• Packaging: Shrinkwrap (PE), carton, and shipping case, approximately 0.05-0.1 kg allocated per book.

Paper constitutes approximately 85-90% of book mass and is the dominant emission driver. Transport is unusually significant for books because of the global printing supply chain — many English-language books are printed in China and shipped by sea freight to Western markets.

Manufacturing Geography

Book printing is increasingly globalized:

• China: Dominant global book printer for export markets. Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Heshan are major printing hubs. Cost advantage drives offshore printing of color books, children’s books, and large print runs.
• USA: Domestic printing for North American market. LSC Communications (closed 2020), Quad/Graphics, Sheridan. Short-run digital and print-on-demand (POD) growing rapidly.
• EU: Germany (CPI Group), Italy (color printing), UK (Clays, CPI). EU printing serves primarily domestic markets.
• India: Growing export printing, especially for academic/educational titles.
• Grid intensity (China): 565 gCO2e/kWh (IEA 2024).
• Rationale: Printing presses (offset lithography) consume moderate electricity for press drives, ink trains, and drying. The paper supply chain dominates total emissions.

Regional Variation

Printing Region	Grid Intensity	Estimated CCI Score	Adjustment
China — sea freight to West (default)	~565 gCO2e/kWh + transport	3.0 kgCO2e	Baseline
USA (domestic print)	~390 gCO2e/kWh	2.2 kgCO2e	-27%
EU (domestic print)	~300 gCO2e/kWh	2.0 kgCO2e	-33%
India — sea freight	~708 gCO2e/kWh + transport	3.2 kgCO2e	+7%
POD (print-on-demand, domestic)	Low grid + no sea freight	1.5-2.0 kgCO2e	-40%

Note: Transport constitutes ~20% of total emissions for China-printed, sea-freighted books. Domestic or print-on-demand production eliminates this component and reduces overprinting waste.

Provenance Override Guidance

1. Product-level PCF or publisher sustainability data.
2. Paper sourcing: FSC/PEFC certified, recycled content, paper mill EPD data.
3. Print location: Domestic vs. offshore printing has a large transport impact.
4. Print-on-demand: POD eliminates overprinting waste and reduces transport but has higher per-unit energy (digital toner vs. offset).
5. Ink type: Vegetable-oil-based inks (soy, linseed) vs. petroleum-based inks have marginally different emission profiles.

Methodology Notes

• CCI score of 3 kgCO2e per book is a conservative estimate for a China-printed, sea-freighted paperback. Borggren et al. (2011) report 1.5-4.0 kgCO2e. The CCI score sits in the upper-middle range reflecting coal-grid Chinese printing plus intercontinental sea freight.
• Scope breakdown: Scope 3 at 80% (2.4 kgCO2e) from paper production, ink/chemical manufacturing, and long-distance transport. Scope 2 at 13% (0.4 kgCO2e) from printing press and bindery electricity. Scope 1 at 7% (0.2 kgCO2e) from on-site drying and press thermal energy.
• Confidence: Medium — good LCA data for paper production and some published studies on book LCA, though the category spans a wide range (64-page children’s book to 1000-page textbook).
• Functional unit: One 300-page paperback book (~0.4 kg), cradle to gate.
• Digital comparison: E-readers have production emissions of ~20-30 kgCO2e per device. The crossover point (where e-reader production is offset by avoided paper book production) is approximately 8-15 books, depending on assumptions.