We

LOVE

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Why Digital

We sometimes receive emails from people complaining that we are ‘only digital’. We are told that our magazine is not ‘real’ or ‘an actual’ magazine because it is not on paper. As you probably expect, we made a conscious decision to be digital only.

Here are a few relevant facts -

  • In just 40 years, worldwide consumption of paper has risen by 400% and a forest area the size of Europe has gone. In fact, 1 billion hectares has been cut down. Between 2001 to 2018 alone, an area larger than India has been destroyed;

  • In the US, 36% of the annual timber harvest is used for paper and paperboard;

  • Discarded paper and paperboard make up roughly 26% of solid municipal waste in landfill sites and, when paper rots, it emits methane gas which is 25 times more toxic than CO2;

  • Worldwide, the pulp and paper industry is the 3rd largest industrial polluter of air, water and soil and is the 5th largest consumer of energy;

  • 70% of the world's plants and animals live in forests and are so harmed significantly because of deforestation;

  • Fewer than 5% of the world's forests are covered by any certification scheme and, in any event, magazines tend to require higher-grade paper;

  • A recent study has found that a digital read of a magazine involves 76% less CO2 emissions compared to a printed magazine;

  • On average, 60% of magazines that you see on a supermarket stand will not be sold and will be destroyed.

You don’t need to be a tree hugger (although there are scientific articles suggesting that trees actually have feelings) to appreciate that the creation of a paper magazine has an impact on the environment. It is also clear that a digital magazine - although it does have its own impact - is substantially less harmful.

There are also some positive facts about digital: the image quality is greatly enhanced, you have easy access to all your magazines wherever you are, the magazines can be interactive, they are convenient, the prices can be lower because of the lower production costs, the magazine does not need to rely on heavy advertising…

Offering both print and digital versions may seem ideal as it gives choice to readers but at present, the environmental impact increases substantially since digital magazines are not entirely green. Choosing one medium only is the most sustainable alternative. We believe that there are enough lovely paper magazines already and that paper is better used for more permanent creations such as books and products that cannot be digital.

We will of course look at ways to improve our digital magazine to make it more interactive and user friendly. We will also embrace any possible sustainable solutions such as print on demand for customers who wish to print a single issue. Our magazines, being advertising free, are more like e-books.

So we hope you agree that being ‘only’ digital is a good thing :)