Khurana: Newspapers are an ever evolving industry

Khurana shed light on critical facets of the industry such as incentivising sustainable forests (SF) and the lifecycle assessment of reducing carbon footprint. “Paper is one of the most recycled products in the world, and it is a vital aspect for a sustainable forest management,” he said.

According to Khurana, the greenhouse gas emissions for newspapers as close to that of car travel of one kilometre. “Newspapers are thriving in many parts of the world and it is ever evolving. It is growing at a CAGR of 3.4%. And it is green, too. Carbon footprint of one newspaper is 210 gm of CO2, less than a packet of milk, which has a footprint of 820 gm of CO2,” he added.

He also spoke about the mantras to reduce carbon footprint – measure, aim, reduce, offset, communicate and comply.

In addition, Khurana demystified the debate of print versus digital. He stated that close to 41 mn tonnes of eWaste are generated annually, and the CO2 emissions of paper reduced by 22% between 2005 and 2013. Thus, paper has become the most sustainable alternative.

Further, he discussed TechNova's green initiatives and its energy management journey. He explained how the company achieved savings of 91.44 lakhs units per annum, and how it reduced the carbon footprint by 6,858 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

He concluded his session by saluting the newspaper industry as it incorporates low energy CTP solutions, chemical-free plates, filtration units, eco-friendly chemicals, vegetable oil-based inks, and so on.