Tiina Pajula, Hanna Pihkola, Minna Nors

Abstract
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.

Keywords: Carbon footprint, life-cycle assessment (LCA), Printing technology, Environmental impact
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Maria Enroth

Abstract
This study was initiated in order to clarify the environmental impact of different kinds of teaching aids easily available today. The aim of the study is to give a screening comparison of the environmental impact when it comes to the global warming potential of printed versus electronic teaching aids. A life cycle perspective is used in the study which means that the different specific life cycle steps of the media products are analysed. In the study, the environmental impact is limited to the impact category global warming. The study focuses on the emissions of fossil carbon dioxide which is the only climate gas included in the analysis.

The study shows that the impact on global warming of a web based electronic teaching aid is approximately 10 times higher than the environmental impact of a printed textbook, if a low energy computer equipment scenario is used. If a high energy computer equipment scenario is used, the impact is nearly 30 times higher for the web based electronic teaching aid compared with the impact of the printed textbook. A reason for this is that a textbook can be used for a long time by many users.

Keywords: Environmental impact, Printed textbooks, Electronic teaching aids, Media products
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Natalia Gilewicz, Chris Kular

Abstract
In an effort to respond to consumer demands for more sustainable products, the packaging industry is constantly updating what constitutes a sustainable package. One of the fastest growing segments of consumer packaging is the bottled water industry. This area of packaging is under heavy scrutiny from the public in North America - especially in areas where water is safe to drink from the tap. Part of the problem is that consumers do not have enough information to make sustainable choices. This research investigated the package from a consumer perspective. A sample of bottles was subjected to a visual inspection and content analysis of environmental information on the package and the corresponding company website. Environmental claims were gathered and categorized using a typology developed by Carlson (1993). The results revealed physical characteristics that are identifiable to consumers (such as package weight or size of label). Further, it was found that very few packages carried any sustainable messages on the bottle but where they did, claims were supported with further information on the website. Lastly, the bottles that contained data on the package did not have the physical characteristics of a sustainable package. Thus, not only does the water bottle industry need to provide consumers with more information, package characteristics need to better showcase sustainability. This in turn will help consumers make educated and sustainable choices.

Keywords: Bottled water, Packaging, Sustainability
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PRESENTATION (PDF)