The climate crisis is on everyone’s mind. Whether you’re a publisher, a researcher, or a society leader it’s clear that we all need to address our carbon footprint. One way of doing that is to look at the amount of print we produce. Not that our electronic gadgets are impact free, of course. According to the Shift Project our gadgets, the internet and the systems supporting them account for around 3.7% of global greenhouse emissions. Nonetheless moving away from a print-based culture has a larger environmental impact, which is why in this year’s survey of the members of practitioner and professional societies we faced the issue head on.

Professionals want content

There’s no doubt that practitioners and professionals consume a lot of content. Accessing the society journal is the main reason members renew their society membership, after all. 61% told us they regularly consume scholarly content of some sort – most likely a journal (84%). Over half currently get that journal content in a mix of print and digital formats with almost as many (45%) accessing journal content mostly or only online. So, what would happen if societies switched their journals to digital only?

Switching to digital

Firstly, your carbon footprint will be significantly reduced. Here at Wiley, we’re working hard to reduce the amount of paper we use in journals and magazines. Our Global Operations carbon footprint is certified 100% carbon neutral and 61% of our journals and magazines either have zero packaging or non-plastic packaging. That’s not enough. If at least half of your members want to read a print journal, then paper consumption, with all its knock-on effects, will continue to remain high.

Will switching to digital damage member satisfaction?

Our survey looked at the impact on society membership of leaving print behind for a digital-only future. Those who are still wedded to print mostly prefer it for the ability to evaluate it offline (73%), but there are alternatives to print copies gathering dust on library shelves. Across the survey the attitude to switching from print to digital is softening with over 20% more people than last year saying it would have no impact on membership and fewer saying they would prefer print, but that digital would suffice. Fewer than 10% of responders say their membership would be devalued by the switch, so the risk is minimal and the environmental benefits significant.

Publishers are as keen to improve the industry’s global footprint as you are and the first question we need to ask is: do we still need print? If so, there are ways of reducing the environmental impact. Half would be happy with a slower speed of delivery for print journals, for example. Best of all, though, is to end our relationship with print journals for good. Going green may not be easy, but it is right, and it’s something your members may be happier to embrace than you think. Why not find out?