Editorial intangible, libros electrónicos y ebooks online

Editorial Intangible believes in individual and collective responsibility with the purposes of generating the future, preserving the present and remembering the past. Books are depository of a part of all this and yet, at the same time, they are a promise and a factual contribution to the search for and creation of a different reality.

That is why Editorial Intangible talks and implements eco-edition: extensive environmental knowledge, an ECOnomical and ECOlogical way of producing books, the e-books.

One of the virtues of digital publications, e-readers and digital ink is the lower environmental impact resulting from their production.

Arguments exist against digital publishing, based on pollution caused by plastic, components and emission of toxic gases: it is not only about production costs, but also about disposal as a waste. Nevertheless, electronic reading reduces the impact on the planet while traditional reading means higher environmental costs, from production to storage, transport and delivery.

There is a long list of studies, assessments and critical approaches to the e-book.
In 2003, for his final dissertation, Greg Kozak of University of Michigan drew up a comparative study on paper book v. e-book life cycle; he found out that a paper book produces 4 times as much greenhouse gas than an e-reader. Printing a book means using up 3 times as much raw material and 78 times as much water.
In another study published by Berkeley University, conclusions report that reading an electronic newspaper reduces emissions of CO2 by a factor ranging from 32 to 140 and uses up to 27 times less water than a regular printed version.

Here are a few figures about ecosystem preservation:

12 – number of trees needed to produce one ton of printing paper.
10 – nnumber of persons per year to whom a tree can provide oxygen.

5% - ppercentage of recycled paper used in the book publishing industry.
35% - percentage of printed books returned to the publisher and ending up in dumps.
75.000 - average number of trees used for one issue of the New York Times on Sunday.
And there's more. According to Green Press Initiative,the very year more than 20 million trees are used in the US publishing industry, and that figure does not include the 95 million trees required for printing daily newspapers.

E-books' growth in popularity will hopefully help reduce these figures.

Eco-edition.

Besides digital edition, there are ways to try and minimize average environmental impact, such as Eco-edition. In any case, whether printed or digital, one can not help but take into consideration the average environmental impact of the industry, as well as the possibility to minimize said impact.

We would like our Eco-edition to be known as a challenge for environmental improvement facing the publishing industry.

What is the eco - edition?

Eco-edition is, more or less, a publication that minimizes average environmental impact throughout the whole process, from page design to distribution, taking into account raw materials used, printing process, stock management, packaging and distribution management.

Eco-edition must also ensure proper working conditions to all those involved in the extraction of raw materials and in the fulfilling of the publishing contract.

What can I do?

1. As a consumer of publications:
   • Ask for publications that follow the process of Eco-edition. Give priority to publications whose production followed social and environmental sustainability guidelines.
   • Buy digital formats whenever available..
   • Prefer download of free web-based publications over paper versions.
   • Buy and use products manufactured in compliance with sustainability criteria (recycled paper,...).
   • Do not print unless absolutely necessary.
   • Use suitable printers and copiers (print type, ink...).
   • Acquire e-books.
   • TBe a part of the book-crossing community.
2. As a promoter in the publishing industry:
   
   • TAlways ask for recycled post-consumer paper when available.
   • In case of virgin fiber paper, ask for paper coming from sustainably managed forests.
   • Ask for forest certifications that also include social criteria.
   • Always demand TCF paper (totally chlorine-free).
   • Ask for water-based inks, without heavy metals.
   • Ask for the printing process to be finalized in a way as to minimize environmental impact.
   • Choose social economy enterprises or special job placement centers.
   • Ask for recyclable or recycled packaging and actively promote its re-use.
   • Make sure the number of printed copies follows the demand.
   • Prefer digital format whenever applicable.