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 6.6 pounds of paper
- Avoid producing 171 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions—the equivalent of:
- The emissions avoided by not driving 169 miles
- The emissions avoided by not consuming 8.8 gallons of gasoline
- Planting 2 tree seedlings and allowing them to grow for 10 years
- Preserving 24 square feet of forestland
- Avoid releasing 63 gallons of wastewater into the environment
- Avoid using 4.5 gallons of gasoline to mail paper items
If only 20% of American households switched from paper to electronic bills, statements and payments each year, the collective impact would...
- Save 150,939,615 pounds of paper
- Save 1,811,275 trees
- Avoid producing almost 2 million tons of greenhouse gases
- Avoid creating over a billion gallons of wastewater during paper production
- Avoid using over 100 million gallons of gas to mail payments
