FileTransferIsGreen.org found that using an FTP (file transfer protocol) site to upload printing files is much more eco-friendly than sending an overnight package. The organization compared the carbon footprint of an online file transfer and the carbon footprint of sending an overnight package.
Overnight Mailing Carbon Footprint
FileTransferIsGreen put the following scenario to the test: they pretended they were going to send a printed document weighing 2 pounds overnight from Atlanta, Georgia to Salt Lake City, Utah. They listed all of the elements that would need to go into the overnight package:
- The shipping paper for the envelope or box.
- Paper for the address label.
- Driving the package to the dropoff box.
- The carrier picking up the package and driving it to the distribution center.
- The package being driven from the distribution center to the airport.
- The airplane flying to its destination.
- The package being driven from the airport to the distribution center.
- The package being delivered from the distribution center to its destination.
FileTransferIsGreen admits that certain factors are impossible to calculate, like the paper needed for the envelope or how far the carrier drives to or from distribution centers. But, they did calculate what they could, including:
Package Dropoff: 2.2 pounds of CO2 (for two miles roundtrip)
Carrier Trucks: 2.2 pounds of CO2 (for another two miles roundtrip)
Airline Travel: 60 pounds of CO2 (for a Boeing 737-300 to travel 1585 miles)
TOTAL: Approximately 64 pounds of CO2 for one overnight package, not counting the paper used in the packaging.
FTP Carbon Footprint
FileGenius, one of FileTransferIsGreen’s sponsors, estimated the power used to service one of their customers on a FTP upload. They estimated that each one of their servers uses 400 watts, or 288 kWh per month. And since each server can service 50 customers, each customer’s monthly portion would be about 2.88 kWh per month. (Is this correct? I’m not great at math, but I would think 100 customers would equal 2.88 kWh per month. Anyway, this isn’t my study, but I’d appreciate a more broken-down calculation!)
Using a CO2 calculator (the same one used to determine the CO2 used in the overnight delivery), it comes out to each customer being responsible for 8.6 pounds of CO2 per month of FTP usage.
That’s a pretty big difference—note the 64 pounds is for one overnighter and the 8.6 pounds is for one month. And as FileGenius pointed out, the $40 spent on overnighting a package will add up to much more than paying for an FTP service.
Another Example
An architectural firm needed to get plans to 24 corporate and branch office locations of its client. If mailing the plans, 24 packages would have had to go out in shipping tubes, overnight. Transporting the packages through truck and air would cost the firm $100 per package. However, the firm saved $2,400 just by uploading the plans to an FTP site where all 24 client locations could download the plans and view them offline.
This example doesn’t come with CO2 emission numbers, but we can assume from the previous example how much 24 packages would amount to if one package sent overnight amounted to 64 pounds of CO2 : 1,536 pounds of CO2! That’s crazy. The money and the carbon footprint savings would easily pay for the FTP service for months.
FTP seems like a win-win for companies and the environment.
(Example provided by FileTransferIsGreen.)
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