I am lucky that as a freelance digital marketing consultant and blogger, I don’t usually use much paper in my daily work, and in general, I try to avoid printing documents as much as possible I prefer to use digital versions instead of hard copies, but I know that paper waste is a big issue in business.
Every year around four billion trees are cut down worldwide to produce paper, which leads to an incredible amount of waste. The good news is that most paper is recyclable as long as it doesn’t have plastic or other materials used in its production, so putting it in your recycling bin at work is responsible, however, the best way to avoid paper waste is to not use paper in the first place!
Shocking Paper Waste Facts:
- Almost 10 million tons of paper are used and disposed of in this country each year
- 20% of all UK waste is made up of paper and cardboard
- About half of all business waste is paper products
- Despite most paper waste being recyclable a quarter of landfill waste worldwide is paper
- 42% of the wood harvested globally is used to create paper
- 24 trees are needed to produce one ton of paper
- It takes 5 litres of water to make one sheet of A4 paper
- 30% less energy is used producing recycled paper than making new paper
Trees are a vital part of our ecosystem and vital in the fight against global warming through their carbon absorption, but despite a lot of us knowing and understanding how important they are to the environment research conducted by Kyocera shows that the average office worker in the UK uses up to 45 pieces of paper daily! If you can reduce paper waste in the workplace, you can positively impact the environment. Here are a few top tips for how you can start reducing your paper consumption at work.
Think before you print!
It might seem obvious, but anything printed on paper is usually only required for a short amount of time. Think of handouts for a meeting, agendas or presentations. You’re bound to find that most of these are left behind after the meeting or that people will request the digital versions which are more permanent and easy to store than paper copies – who likes having to sort through piles of random sheets of paper on their desk in order to find something? Use technology to your advantage as well. For example, you can use document data extraction software to make your life easier and print less. These days you can do mostly everything you need to do online.
Choose the right supplier
Of course, it’s sometimes not possible to remove all paper products from your workplace, so it is essential that you find a stationery or paper supplier with impeccable environmental standards or credentials because not all papers are created equal; some are much kinder to the planet than others. One company I know takes this seriously is Antalis paper supplies who pride themselves on the sustainability of the products that they sell. They offer a range of products with Cradle to Cradle certification – these are assessed across 5 environmental criteria, including water and soil stewardship, material health, air and climate protection, social fairness and product circularity.
Make paperless notes
I always prefer making notes on my laptop rather than writing with pen and paper – again because it creates a more permanent record which doesn’t need to be filed away on my desk. If you’re taking a laptop into a meeting you may as well make digital notes instead of using a notebook. There are also countless smartphone apps and functions that you can use.
Hot desk
Many offices use hot desking these days as many people have hybrid roles so desks are not needed as a permanent feature. Hotdesking means people don’t have the time or effort to build up stacks of paper and they’re more likely to recycle it sooner. It can reduce paper waste and keep the office tidy.
Cultural support and encouragement
Staff members should be brought on board with the push to cut paper waste in the office so that the culture of the workplace reinforces the paperless message so that everyone is thinking about reducing paper waste to impact the environment positively. Consider not having a cupboard full of stationery and don’t make regular orders. Instead, staff make one-off requests when they need a specific item. Providing staff with relevant training and information on everything from paper procurement to where recycling points are situated is also key.
