Torraspapel pitched the printed page against its online alternative and found newspaper and textbooks scored higher in the sustainability stakes.

"Reading a newspaper has a lower impact on global warming than reading the news online for 30 minutes," according to Torraspapel's Paper: the alternative to climate change report.

The Spanish group added: "Teaching with textbooks printed on paper contributes to global warming 10 times less than the use of electronic documentation."

Paper helped fight climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide, Torraspapel claimed. It also said paper reduced emissions in the manufacturing process by using clean and renewable energies, cogeneration initiatives and avoiding emissions via recycling.

Paper: the alternative to climate change is the company's third downloadable sustainability brochure, avaialble in Spanish, English and French, from www.torraspapel.com