UBC Sustainability White Paper

The white paper highlights the ecological challenges of excessive paper usage in Canada’s retail sector, which contributes over a third of the country’s waste. It advocates for electronic shelf labels (ESLs) as a sustainable alternative, emphasizing their benefits in reducing paper waste, enabling dynamic pricing, and improving customer experiences. The North American ESL market is expected to grow significantly, potentially saving 0.235 megatons of CO2 emissions annually. However, concerns about battery disposal impact remain, prompting a call for solutions from policymakers and stakeholders. Overall, ESLs are presented as a promising option for advancing Canada’s net-zero emissions goal by 2050.