Your Most Sustainable Read: Digital vs. Print

When we think about carbon footprints, reading habits don’t immediately come to mind. There are many pastimes and hobbies that have a larger environmental impact, but that doesn’t mean the impact can’t be reduced. 

The printing process emits millions of metric tons of CO2 a year, and a depressingly large amount of those books end up in landfills. On the digital side, the damage comes from manufacturing—materials needed, power used. For readers with sustainability at the top of their mind, it can be overwhelming. There isn’t a cut-and-dry answer to the digital vs. print books debate, but there are some key differences that can inform your reading and purchasing decisions.

Limiting waste and building sustainable practices in print

The obvious environmental concern when we look at ebooks vs. physical books is the paper itself. Almost half of the detrimental effects of print books come from the destruction of trees. The publishing industry as a whole—in the US alone—uses about 32 million trees in just one year. On top of that, hundreds of millions of those physical books end up in landfills. (Devastating, I know.) 

For those readers who prefer print books, there is good news: In the past decade, American publishers have been making steady improvements by sourcing their paper from certified sustainable mills and switching to green energy. (Sometimes you’ll find labels from the Forest Stewardship Council inside or on the back covers of books that have been made from FSC-certified or recycled materials.) Other ways to practice sustainable reading? You can shop at local brick and mortar stores to avoid the individual packing and transportation footprint, buy used books, and, of course, patronize your local library.

The green case for ebooks and audiobooks

Digital formats avoid most of the above problems, especially if you’re reading or listening on your phone. Research suggests that the main source of digital publishing’s environmental impact comes from the devices themselves, specifically in manufacturing e-readers. According to a 2024 NPR article on reading habits and sustainability, e-reader production has  a “substantial carbon footprint,” mostly due to the fact that “their cases are made with fossil-fuel-derived plastics and the minerals in their batteries require resource-heavy mining.” If you read tons of books on your e-reader, you’ll more than break even, carbon-footprint-size-speaking. And there’s always the used and refurbished markets. The great thing about audiobooks is if you already have one, no new electronic devices are required (especially if you use Libro.fm, since the files are DRM-free, meaning you can listen on any device with a media player)

The frustrating thing about sustainability discussions is that all of our individual impact and responsibility pale in comparison to the damage done to the planet by huge corporations. It can get to a point where you wonder if it’s even worth all of the anxiety about ethical consumption while those companies are pumping out massive amounts of carbon emissions—an article in The Hill notes Amazon’s release of 68.5 metric tons just in 2024. 

So, one way to make these decisions a little less complicated is to look into the companies and brands you support. How are they affecting the planet? Libro.fm takes that question seriously.

Certified B Corp standards: balancing profit and purpose

In 2025, Libro.fm became a Certified B Corp—meaning that we meet high standards of not only environmental sustainability, but also social policies, transparency, and accountability. And as a Social Purpose Corporation, we’re  committed to our mission to help build a better world, even when that mission is at odds with profit.

Powering local economies: the independent bookshop connection

An unexpected factor that makes Libro.fm a more eco-friendly company is our support of local independent bookshops. As a brick and mortar physical space, book purchases don’t require the same packaging and shipping as online purchases. A 2022 EPA report found that the transportation industry emits more greenhouse gases than any other industry—nearly a third of the total released emissions. 

This is one of many reasons we’re invested in supporting small bookshops, and why we share profits from every purchase with the store of your, the customer’s, choice.

DRM-free listening: owning your audiobooks forever 

In its general sense, sustainable means capable of lasting. We take that literally when it comes to the audiobooks you buy from Libro.fm. All of our audiobooks are DRM-free, meaning once you download your digital files, they’re yours forever. 

Track your impact: the Libro.fm and Commons app partnership

The process of figuring out the environmental impact of various brands is time-consuming, usually baffling, and sometimes impossible. Ten years ago, Commons App founder Sanchali Seth Pal realized there weren’t any tools that could help her “align [her] choices with the world [she] wanted to live in.” So she decided to create that tool for everyone else.

How commons empowers conscious consumers with real-time data

The tool at the core of Commons is the “carbon calculator,” an exhaustive method of estimating consumers’ individual carbon footprints that pulls from lifestyle and spending habits. It sounds complicated, because it is—on the back end. Luckily for us, that really doesn’t have to be any of our business. The clear benefit is much simpler: Commons tells us the carbon footprint of the brands we buy so we can figure out if there’s a better option.

Earning rewards for sustainable decisions (like buying audiobooks!)

Any app that requires tracking or budgeting can be a hard sell, but Commons has a nice way of gamifying the process. Every purchase you make at climate-friendly companies—including Libro.fm!—gets you points. Then those points turn into gift cards you can redeem at any of those climate-friendly companies.

Building a sustainable reading habit

There is no real consensus yet on which book format is the most eco-friendly, which at least means book lovers can make their decisions based on personal preference without stressing too much. What is certain is that shopping locally is far better for the environment than shopping online from mega corporations that encourage frequent buying. If you’re in a financially secure enough place to pay a bit more for books, it’s a highly worthwhile shift.