Get the Facts
Some facts about the environmental impact of paper.
In aggregate, the amount of paper used by modern industrial societies is staggering. The financial industry represents a significant percentage of that paper use. Though we often take it for granted, the lifecycle cost of paper–including production, transportation, and disposal—has a tremendous impact on the environment.
In one year, by switching from paper to electronic billing, statements, and payments, the average American household would...
- Save 6 pounds of paper
- Save 23 pounds of wood
- Prevent producing 29 pounds of greenhouse gases
- Saving this amount of greenhouse gas is the equivalent of:
- The emissions avoided by not driving 30 miles
- The emissions avoided by not consuming 2 gallons of gasoline
- Planting 0.4 tree seedlings and allowing them to grow for 10 years
- Saving this amount of greenhouse gas is the equivalent of:
If only 20% of American households switched from paper to electronic bills, statements and payments each year, the collective impact would...
- Save 146,930,912 pounds of paper
- Save 542,669,898 pounds of wood
- Prevent producing 689,437,189 pounds (312,709 tons) of greenhouse gases
- Saving this amount of greenhouse gas is the equivalent of:
- The emissions avoided by not driving 700,798,252 miles
- Taking 60,939 cars off the road
- The emissions avoided by not consuming 35.2 million gallons of gasoline
- Planting 8.7 million tree seedlings and allowing them to grow for 10 years
- Preserving 1,069 acres of forest from deforestation
- Saving this amount of greenhouse gas is the equivalent of:
- Avoid creating 1,632,318,487 gallons of wastewater
- Avoid creating enough wastewater to fill 2,472 Olympic-size swimming pools
- Avoid filling 7,011,224 household garbage bags with waste
- Avoid filling 5,008 garbage trucks with waste
- Avoid using 14,936,853 gallons of gasoline to mail bills, statements, and payments
