Calculating the carbon footprints of a Finnish newspaper and magazine from cradle to grave

Environmental performance of a product in relation to climate change has become an interest among consumers. A carbon footprint is used as an indicator in evaluating the emissions of greenhouse gases of print products. In the following article, results from two case studies define the carbon footprint of a Finnish daily newspaper and weekly magazine throughout their entire life cycle. The significance of the carbon footprint results during the print product's life cycle is discussed. Energy needed in the pulp, paper and printing processes creates the main part of the emissions. Furthermore, transporting the product to the customer and the end-of-life phase contribute to the total result as calculated from cradle to grave. However, current methodology involves open questions and, e.g. landfill data estimations introduce variation. The calculations provide a baseline against which the development can be measured and communicated. The total carbon footprint should be expressed as a range of values rather than as a single figure.