Description
Total amount of paper consumed at the University of Barcelona, and relative consumption according to some characteristics of environmental interest. There are three main sources of paper consumption:
- office paper purchased by the UB’s different administrative units;
- paper consumed in the self-service photocopying machines installed in the centres, either in the CRAI libraries or in the foyers and corridors of the buildings (until 2017); and
- paper consumption of the companies awarded reprographic services.
| Indicator | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Evolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total paper consumption (kg) | 120.925 | 42.408 | 55.678 | 57.418 | 57.478 |  |
| % of recycled paper | 19,7 | 22,7 | 17,7 | 17,5 | 16,5 |  |
| % totally chlorine-free paper | 65,2 | 78,2 | 72,3 | 64,4 | 60,0 | |
| % of paper with ecolabel certification | 88,0 | 92,5 | 87,1 | 63,4 | 63,0 |  |
| % of paper with FSC certification | 56,1 | 62,1 | 68,2 | 51,3 | 51,9 | |
| % of paper with PEFC certification | 63,7 | 66,9 | 72,1 | 65,9 | 67,9 | |
Results
Between 2011 and 2019 the consumption of office and copying paper has decreased by 29.9%, from 179 to 125 tonnes per year. This reduction is 100% in consumption at the CRAI’s self-service photocopiers, which ceased to provide services in 2018, 36.6% in paper purchased by the UB’s administrative units, and 13.1% in consumption of reprographic services.
In 2020, the data is distorted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the closure of reprographic services for more than nine months, and a reduction in presence in buildings that also significantly reduced the consumption and purchase of paper by the administrative units of the UB. Once the activity has recovered, the values of paper consumption show a decrease of 52% compared to pre-pandemic figures, as a result of the consolidation of digital processes in all university activity.
The positive evolution in the global consumption of paper is accompanied by a worsening – in environmental terms – of the type of paper consumed, since the purchase of recycled reached 40.5% in 2011, and has been reduced to 16 .5% in 2023. Of the three sources of consumption, UB units rely more on recycled paper and totally chlorine-free paper than concessionaires (recycled paper and TCF paper are practically non-existent in copy shops).
As for the environmental certifications of the paper consumed, the proportion of paper from sustainable forestry (especially PEFC certification) has been increasing. Paper with Àngel Blau certifications is approximately a quarter of the paper consumed, and more than half of the paper consumed has ecolabel certification. Environmental certifications are more present in the paper consumed directly by the UB’s administrative units and services than in the reprographic services.
According to these results, the paper acquired by the UB’s administrative units is the one with the lowest overall energy and environmental costs.
