How the internet has made the world greener (infographic)

30 Mar 2013

Going digital via the internet has saved millions of pounds in plastic and paper, an infographic reveals.

The infographic published by CLEAR Wireless Internet on Visual.ly illustrates how the rise of email, e-readers, digital music, and digital photography has helped the environment breathe a little more easily.

For example, between 2003 and 2012, sales of digital music have prevented 97.5m pounds of plastic from being produced. Digital photos, instead of printed photos, have translated into 90m fewer pounds of paper used in a decade.

In 2012, e-book sales surpassed print book sales for the first time, according to the infographic. In the previous year, e-books saved 200m pounds of paper.

Plenty of paper has also been saved by the use of email instead of snail mail, as well: 2,750m pounds between 2007-2011.

Infographic

Tina Costanza was a journalist and sub-editor at Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com