Environmental concerns in the knowledge industry: literature review Sabiha Zehra Rizvi, S.M. Shafi and Nadim Akhtar Khan Department of Library & Information Science, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India Abstract Purpose – The paper aims to explore and identify the recent contributions to the literature available about various environmental issues associated with the Knowledge Industry, from conception until dissemination of knowledge to end-users from the sources available. Design/methodology/approach – An extensive literature survey was performed in an attempt to identify substantial works published to date concerning environmental issues coupled with the Knowledge Industry. A range of online scholarly databases, search engines and websites of recognized international as well as national organizations and publishers was searched, to spot out the substantial works carried out in the area. Varied search terms such as “environmental issues of paper industry”, “paper consumption for books”, “books and carbon footprint” “environmental issues in pulp and paper industry”, “computers and carbon footprint”, “publishing industry and environment”, “internet and environmental issues” and “green computing”, etc. were used for retrieving the literature. Findings – The literature review connotes that hardly any systematic study or scholarly output which can facilitate the precise and accurate facts about environmental issues coupled with the Knowledge Industry is available, although the size of the industry and its effect on the environment is quite large. Practical implications – It is evident from the scrutiny of literature existing that there are still areas for advanced exploration on the topic of environmental concerns of the Knowledge industry; and study paves the way for the concerned organizations and institutions (such as Libraries and Publishers), at global level, to take substantial measures to overcome hazardous effects from the industry. Originality/value – The paper is the first ordered and thorough attempt to review the literature and provide a summary of adverse effects of the Knowledge Industry on the environment. Keywords Publishers, Information technology, Books, Knowledge industry, Book industry, Information communication technology, Environmental issues, Carbon footprint Paper type Literature review Evolution of the knowledge industry Harmony between man and environment is the essence of healthy life and growth. Therefore, maintenance of ecological balance and a pristine environment has been of utmost importance. Variant needs of man have always led him to exploit various natural resources accordingly and to change the environment for his own benefits. The compilation of written knowledge is a practice as old as human civilization itself. Man did not learn how to write all at once. His early attempts were very crude (Gunaratne, 2006). From the very beginning when man started to conserve his ideas and information in the form of symbols, pictures and writing, to pass it to the next generations, he knowingly or unknowingly promoted the cause for environmental destruction. In ancient times, “the materials upon which written records were made have included stone, clay, metal, wood, wax tablets, ivory, leaves, bark, papyrus, parchment, etc.” (“Materials for records”, 1920). The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0024-2535.htm LR 61,7 526 Received 18 September 2012 Accepted 21 September 2012 Library Review Vol. 61 No. 7, 2012 pp. 526-537 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0024-2535 DOI 10.1108/00242531211288263