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Tavoitteena oli arvioida kokonaisvaltaisesti kuluttajien mediakäytön ympäristövaikutuksia ja tunnistaa eri mediankäyttötapoihin liittyvät merkittävimmät ympäristövaikutusten lähteet. Tutkimuksessa haluttiin lisätä ymmärrystä erilaisista mediankäyttötavoista, herättää keskustelua median ympäristövaikutuksista ja aktivoida alan toimijoita laajempaan yhteistyöhön. Lisäksi arvioitiin keinoja hyödyntää tuloksia kuluttajille suunnatussa mediatuotteisiin liittyvässä ympäristöviestinnässä. Menetelminä tutkimuksessa hyödynnettiin laadullista käyttäjätutkimusta kuluttajien mediapäivän kulutuksen selvittämiseksi sekä kirjallisuusselvitystä eri media-alustojen (paperi, tietokone, älypuhelin, tablet sekä sähköinen lukulaite ja televisio) elinkaaren aikaisten ympäristövaikutusten selvittämiseksi. Näiden tietojen pohjalta luotiin elinkaariajatteluun pohjautuva median käyttöä kuvaava nelikenttäjaottelu kokonaiskuvan muodostamiseksi. Lisäksi toteutettiin median käytön ympäristövaikutuksia havainnollistava animaatio (http://youtu.be/KYmfAxIBWSs). Median käytön ympäristövaikutusten kattava arviointi ei tällä hetkellä ole mahdollista julkisesti saatavilla olevan tiedon pohjalta. Tietoa puuttuu tai se ei ole ajantasaista ja läpinäkyvää. Tiedon suhteen on myös alueita ja asioita, joiden osalta tiedon muodostaminen on hyvin haasteellista, kuten verkkoliikenne, tai joiden osalta tieto voi olla virheellistä ja vaatii tarkentamista, kuten jotkut elektronisten laitteiden komponentit. Tällä hetkellä julkisen ja ajantasaisen tiedon puute hankaloittaa myös yritysten omia tuotteita ja palveluita koskevien arviointien tekemistä sekä vaikutusten vähentämistä. Suurimmat haasteet ja tiedonpuutteet liittyvät elektronisten laitteiden valmistukseen ja kierrätykseen, tietoverkkoihin ja tiedonsiirtoon sekä mediatuotteiden ja -palveluiden erottamiseen muusta tiedonsiirrosta ja ajankäytöstä. Nopeasti muuttuvat teknologiat ja uudet sähköiset alustat sekä monikanavaiset mediapalvelut ja tuotteet muodostavat kokonaisuuden, joka on haastava, muttei mahdotonta arvioida ympäristövaikutuksien kannalta. Tämä edellyttää kuitenkin yhteistyötä ja läpinäkyvyyden lisäämistä eri mediatuotteisiin liittyvien ympäristövaikutusten osalta, sekä avointa viestintää alan toimijoilta. Lisäksi tarvitaan lisää systemaattisia ja julkisia tutkimuksia eri mediatuotteiden ja jakelukanavien vaikutuksista. Tutkimuksen perusteella koostettiin myös suosituksia ja jatkotutkimustarpeita. Kuluttaja voi osaltaan hillitä merkittävästi median käytöstä aiheutuvia ympäristövaikutuksia sillä, että hän kierrättää painotuotteet ja elektroniikkalaitteet hyötykäyttöön, kun ei niitä enää tarvitse.

Currently, some information about the environmental impacts of different devices and platforms, such as print, tablets and mobile phones is available, but the overall view related to media consumption as a whole is missing. The environmental impacts of media use is a combination of the impacts related to use phase, manufacturing of the devices or platforms used, content creation, and infrastructure required for delivering the content to the end-user. For making environmentally aware decisions, the impacts of these different phases should be clarified. From LCA point of view, the challenge is how to select a correct functional unit for the evaluation, since the daily time used for e.g. reading the news varies greatly between the case persons. Most likely, a combination of LCA and other evaluation methods is required, increasing the complexity of the assessment. From consumer communication point of view, the challenge is that the impacts of media use are mostly not visible to the users and at the moment, the impacts are not well known.

Alma media ordered a research study from VTT and Centre for Sustainable Communications (CESC) at KTH, in order to evaluate the environmental performance of specific Alma Media products. The report covers the results of the life cycle assessments for printed newspapers; Aamulehti, Iltalehti and Kauppalehti as well as online newspapers; Aamulehti.fi, Iltalehti.fi and Kauppalehti.fi. With the help of a life cycle assessment the potential environmental impacts related to a defined product life cycle is evaluated, taking into account raw material acquisition, production, use, and endof-life treatment. Thus, various kinds of environmental impacts were considered.The results indicate that the environmental performance of printed and online versions of Alma Media’s newspapers includes different types of environmental impacts, and that these are distributed differently in the value chain and geographically. The majority of the impacts of printed newspapers occur from paper and printing manufacturing, which are located in Finland. On the other hand, environmental impacts related to online newspapers are to a large extent dependent on the manufacturing of electronic devices used for reading the online content. These impacts occur in other countries and at the suppliers not directly related to Alma Media. With few readers of the online versions the content production may also be a considerable part of the overall potential environmental impact. The actions to take towards improvements will need to be different related to the value chain. Furthermore, Alma Media as a media company can have a key role in sharing environmental information in order to improve user practices and stakeholder practices along the value chain. The study covered a number of environmental impacts, which was important because the environmental impacts for online and printed newspapers were clearly different. The study also pointed out the importance in being careful when assessing impact categories where there may be substantial data gaps and where there are greater uncertainties related to the assessment of impacts, e.g. toxicity impact categories. Comparisons between print and online versions are not simple, as print and online versions provide different types of information and the readers use them in different ways. Furthermore, the printed and online newspapers from Alma Media may not replace each other, but rather complement each other which can mean adding up environmental impacts from printed and online versions. The functional unit chosen is very decisive regarding the environmental performance of printed and online media, if they are to be related to each other. Using different kinds of perspectives through functional units gives more information and increased knowledge. QC 20130710

In the media sector, recently new means of distribution, new platforms for accessing media and consequently new media products have been introduced. With new products potential environmental impacts related to activities of media companies are changing. Finnish media publisher Alma Media commissioned an LCA study in order to learn more about environmental impacts related to their mature and emerging products. Based on this, the current paper aims to present potential environmental impacts related to printed and online newspapers, focusing on their differences and challenges in assessing, comparing, communicating and acting on the results. Three newspapers are studied as cases, covering upstream printing house supply chain, printing house activities, delivery to readers and final disposal for print versions; electronic storage and distribution, the relevant share of electronic devices manufacturing and disposal and electricity needed for downloading and reading for online versions; content production for both. Mainly generic data was used for online products assessment, since specific data were not available. The specific data for the more mature print products were detailed but less comprehensive than generic. The implication is increased uncertainty and difficulties in communication of results. Environmental performance of both printed and online newspapers is dependent on various characteristics of the newspaper and its readers, including e.g. format and number of pages for print versions, and type of device used and its total use, size of content download and reading time for online versions. User practices may be changing as emerging products get more mature, which will influence environmental performance. Print and online versions give rise to different types of environmental impacts and the distribution of impacts in the life cycles differ. Printed newspaper impacts largely occur in the printing house supply chain and in delivery to readers, whereas online newspapers impacts are mainly connected to the electronic devices supply chain, and to some extent electricity used for reading and distribution. Impacts of printed newspapers studied occur more locally with paper manufacturing and printing located in Finland. Impacts related to online versions largely occur in other countries. Also, new value chain actors are involved, which are not directly related to the media company. Different actions for improvement may be necessary for emerging media products, as well as new types of collaborations. Comparison of online and print versions is not straightforward as different benefits are provided and reader practices differ. Although emerging media products may be considered substitutes for print counterparts, this is not necessarily the case. The choice of functional unit of assessment proved crucial for the comparison. Different functional units were used (one year, one reader and week, one reading hour). Comparing print and online versions Alma Media online newspapers showed lower environmental impacts than their print versions per year and also per reader and week. However, impacts per reading hour were lower for printed newspapers in some cases. Using different kinds of perspectives, e.g. through different functional units, gives more information and increased knowledge. Complexity in assessing, comparing, communicating and acting on emerging media products was experienced in this study. Further studies and action need to be taken. QC 20121221

Within the paper and printing industry, product-based information is required for both internal and external communication. The aim of the LEADER project (2007-2010) was to study the environmental impacts occurring during the life cycle of print products. During the project, life cycle assessment and carbon footprint studies were conducted for five print products. To increase the usability of the results among the industrial stakeholders and funding parties, communication was selected as one of the focus areas of the project. One of the main areas of interest was how to present the results of the life cycle assessment and carbon footprint case studies in a manner that non-expert stakeholders can readily understand. The objectives of the empirical part of the sustainability communication study were to identify the most relevant challenges related to the communication of environmental information, to gather ideas and tools for improving communication within the value chain of print products, and to get feedback on the drafts of the fact sheets that were under development. In the study, a qualitative research approach was applied. Data was collected by organizing workshops and by interviewing representatives of the value chain of print products. In addition, a literature study on available tools and guidelines suitable for communicating about the environmental performance of print products was conducted. Based on the empirical data, there were clear differences in how often the interviewees encounter questions concerning sustainability. Therefore the needs and also the ability to make use of new information and new tools vary greatly within the value chain. The environmental issues in the value chain of print products are for the most part communicated between companies, by professionals, and very few actors in the field have direct contact with the end-users.

The aim of the LEADER project (2007-2010) was to study the environmental impacts occurring during the life cycle of print products. The scope of the project was focused on printed media products. The main products in the print media product group are newspapers, magazines, books and advertisements. In the study, two research methods were applied: product-specific life cycle assessment (including carbon footprint) and the environmentally extended inputoutput model ENVIMAT (Seppälä et al. 2009). Life cycle assessment is a method that provides detailed information about the environmental aspects and potential environmental impacts connected to the life cycle of a product. Carbon footprinting is a fairly new application of life cycle assessment with its own specific calculation procedures. In the ENVIMAT model, the life cycle impact results of the whole Finnish economy or individual industries can be presented with indicators such as environmental impact category results (e.g. climate change). Thus the ENVIMAT model is a macro-level tool that provides an estimate of the environmental impacts related to the production and consumption of print products in Finland. During the project, data was collected concerning the whole life cycle of print products and five case products were selected for further study. Life cycle assessments were conducted and carbon footprints calculated for ? a regional newspaper (coldset offset printed) ? a weekly magazine (heatset offset printed) ? a photobook (printed with electrophotography). Additionally, a carbon footprint study was conducted for ? an advertisement leaflet (rotogravure printed) ? hardcover book (sheetfed offset printed). By selecting several case products, the potential impacts of different printing methods and different paper grades were included in the study. The case studies provide extensive examples of the environmental aspects and potential environmental impacts - and especially of the carbon footprints - of printed products. Insofar as this was possible, the case studies were defined to present viable value chains that could exist in Finland. Due to several differences between the case products, the results of the studies are not directly comparable. However, the case studies point out many similarities and critical environmental aspects within the product group of fibre-based print products. Also the challenges related to the use of LCA and carbon footprint methodology to evaluate the environmental impacts of paper-based products have been illustrated and discussed in the context of the case studies. In all cases, the LCI, carbon footprint and LCIA results are reported divided into life cycle stages and considering both direct and indirect emissions and impacts. By presenting the sources and potential impacts according to life cycle stages, the influence of different actors over the impacts of the whole life cycle can be evaluated. The case studies provide new information about the potential environmental impacts related to print products. Especially the end-of-life treatments, all transport, manufacturing of printing ink and printing plates and the environmental impacts of electrophotography printing are aspects that have not been studied widely before. As part of data collection, the development of environmental performance within different printing methods was evaluated, and environmental indicators specific for the printing phase are discussed. Additionally, the results of the LEADER project can be used as help and background information when further developing methodologies and calculation principles suitable for fibrebased print products.

A few carbon footprint guidelines have been published in order to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide gas to the atmosphere. The Confederation of the European Paper Industries (CEPI) published a framework in 2007 concerning life cycle phases to include in a carbon footprint calculation for fiber-based products. British Standards Institute announced PAS2050 specification in the year 2008 for the assessment of the life cycle GHG emissions of goods and services. The International Standardization Organization ISO started the development of a carbon footprint standard. The PAS2050 states that the carbon content is not included to the calculation if the life span of a product is less than year. The biogenic carbon stored in the product cannot be diminished from the carbon footprint result, since it will be released back to the biogenic carbon cycle. Improving in the energy efficiency and reducing the use of purchased energy are the most efficient ways to decrease the carbon footprint. (3 refs.)

Concern about climate change and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has created pressures for the printing industry. Customers are willing to know and to minimize the carbon footprint of their purchases. Up-to-date information on environmental performance is required also in business to business relationships. In Finland VTT (KCL) has coordinated national level industry consortium project called Lean Development with Renewable Resources (LEADER 2007 - 2010). The project is studying the environmental impacts occurred during the life cycle of print products. Product life cycle is studied from cradle the grave, starting from the forest and covering the paper manufacturing, printing and distribution to households. Finally, the impact of different end of life options is studied. Life cycle assessment and carbon footprint are the main tools applied within the project. In carbon footprint case studies, both CEPI carbon footprint guidelines and the PAS2050 guidelines have been applied. The project consists of several life cycle assessment and carbon footprint case studies. Studied product groups include heatset printed magazine, coldset web offset printed newspaper, electrophotography printed publication, sheet-fed offset printed book and rotogravure printed advertisement. Through the case studies, critical phases during the life cycle of a print product can be discovered. The aim of the project is to provide guidance on improved environmental performance, focusing especially on energy and material efficiency. Special features of carbon footprint of fibre phase products have been studied and the differences between the calculation methods have been evaluated. Additional emphasis is given also on the ways to communicate the results of carbon footprint calculations and life cycle assessments. The research is conducted in cooperation with the Finnish Environment Institute, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, FinnMedia, several printing companies, suppliers, logistics and paper manufacturer's Stora Enso, UPM-Kymmene, Myllykoski and Metsäliitto. Funding partners are StoraEnso, UPM-Kymmene, Myllykoski, Metsäliitto, Graphic industry research foundation and Finnish funding agency for Technology and Innovations.

The objective of this literature study is to summarise the present situation and future prospects of digital printing technologies and markets, to review the existing publicly available information on the environmental impacts of digital printing, and to present suitable indicators for assessing the environmental performance of digital printing. Digital printing methods have developed considerably in recent years, both in terms of quality and productivity. New products based on the variable data printing capability of digital printing have been introduced. Digital methods have also taken market share from mechanical printing methods in the on-demand and short-run production of traditional products. The market share of digital printing will continue to increase in the future. There is little published research on the environmental impacts of digital printing. The analysed literature indicates that digital methods have a higher energy and ink/toner consumption than mechanical methods, but their chemicals and water consumption and waste output are lower. Paper consumption and emissions to air are difficult to assess due to the lack of data. More research is needed to obtain a better and more reliable understanding. Environmental indicators used in earlier studies of printing can be used for digital printing as well. These include physical and monetary input and output figures like energy and materials consumption, emissions and waste output. The suitable functional units are the weight and the surface area of products, e.g. tonne of printed products or million duplex printed A4 sheets.

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.

Carbon footprint has become a key element in evaluating the emissions of greenhouse gases related to manufacturing of print products. The study defines carbon footprint of a Finnish weekly magazine and discusses the significance of the results and ways to diminish greenhouse gas emissions occurred during the product's life cycle. Energy needed in the pulp, paper and printing processes creates the main part of the emissions. Furthermore, transporting the product to customer becomes a remarkable contributor. However, current methodology involves open questions and e.g. landfill data estimations bring in great variation. The calculations provide a baseline against which the development can be measured and communicated. Lots of emphasis should be given on the communication of the results and the carbon footprint should be expressed as a range of values rather than as a single figure.

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland organised a Symposium "Life Cycle Assessment of Products and Technologies" on the 6th of October, 2009. The Symposium gave a good overview of methods, tools and applications of Life Cycle Assessment developed and utilised in several technology fields of VTT. The 12 Symposium papers deal with recent LCA studies on products and technologies. The scope ranges from beverage cups to urban planning, from inventory databases to rating systems. Topical issues relating to climate change concern biorefineries and the overall impacts of the utilisation of biomass. The calculation of carbon footprints is also introduced through paper products and magazines. One example of LCA tools developed at VTT addresses cement manufacturing. VTT's transport emission database, LIPASTO, was introduced in detail. The use of LCA methods and life cycle thinking is described in various contexts: product development in relation to precision instruments; selection of materials and work processes in relation to sediment remediation project; and procedures of sustainability rating through VTT's office building Digitalo. The Climate Bonus project presented a demonstrated ICT support that informs about the greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints of households.