Discover effective strategies for how to reduce paper waste in your workplace. Explore innovative approaches such as digital document management systems, two-sided printing practices, and employee education initiatives. Streamline workflows and minimize environmental impact while maximizing efficiency and sustainability. Embrace a paperless future with practical solutions tailored to your organization’s needs. We have written several tips on how to reduce paper waste in your workplace in today’s article
What to save?
In addition to cutting down trees, water and chemicals are used to bleach them, and rivers and seas can be polluted if not handled properly. Planting eucalyptus and pine trees, which are used to make paper, can lead to soil degradation and desertification. An individual farmer uses the equivalent of 2 trees. Additionally, 1 billion copies are made worldwide every day. Just imagine the environmental impact.
In your company
Adopting sustainable practices in your company, such as saving paper, can improve your reputation and make your company more competitive in the market. Many consumers already demand such practices and take them into consideration when choosing which products to buy. It is not about eliminating the use of paper altogether, but rather consciously reducing it. Saving paper in a business environment can increase productivity and reduce costs, ultimately saving many trees. Did you know that 1 to 3% of a company’s revenue is spent on printing?
Scan the document
The idea is to simply digitize all printed documents and then discard the hard copies. Digitized documents, as long as they meet the technical requirements defined by law, have the same legal value as physical documents. However, many people still print documents because they require a signature. Solutions exist in the form of programs that allow you to create a digital signature and attach it to documents.
Virtual database
Many companies have vast physical repositories of customer records stored on paper. This means that employees waste a lot of time when they need to access data, especially when the database is disorganized. Additionally, maintaining physical storage spaces can increase rent expenses. Creating a database of customer records in Excel makes everything more organized, accessible, and easy to manage. You can even search documents using a keyword system. In general, digitizing documents in a company creates greater efficiency, agility, productivity, and workflow optimization. A survey conducted by the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) found that 40% of companies today still keep their records on paper. Other studies have shown that 90% of archived information is never consulted again. In other words, many documents are saved unnecessarily.
Save files to the cloud
Once you have digitized your documents, it is important to preserve them in the best possible way. This means that saving on pen drives and external hard drives is not recommended, as they may stop working suddenly. Therefore, a great idea is to store everything in Google Drive, which operates like a cloud. You upload it, and other people can access the files even on other computers and cell phones. If your computer crashes, the files remain intact and available. This way, you avoid wasting time searching for physical materials, and in general, the team gains a lot of productivity. Have you ever thought that you are going to a meeting outside of the company and you remember that you forgot an important document? This does not happen with Google Drive; you have access to all important documents on your cell phone wherever you are. By storing files in the cloud, you can allow access only to the people you want. If the files are not digital, this protection becomes much more difficult.
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Saving money
You can buy a coffee machine, for example, by saving money on printers, their maintenance, energy, ink, and paper. Speaking of ink, did you know that cartridges take an average of 500 to 1000 years to decompose in nature? And those inks can leak and pollute the environment?
Increasing employee awareness
Every action, to be successful, requires prior awareness. Therefore, it is important to explain the reasons for paper storage to employees. It must be shown that this concept creates benefits for the company and the environment. This can be done through educational campaigns developed by the HR and internal communication sectors.
Using tablets and smartphones in meetings
Notes made to record meeting topics create a large amount of archived paper. So, use these devices to save money and make everything more practical. Additionally, instead of printing meeting agendas for attendees, share them digitally via cell phones and notebooks.
Accepting selective collection
Even if you only print what you need, don’t forget to recycle! Contact companies that provide this service and buy the bins. This way, you also contribute to the recyclers’ income.
Tracking impressions
It is very important to adopt a system that can identify how many prints are being produced and which department is producing the most. Thus, it is possible to set reduction targets, identify where the most waste is occurring, and why not reward the most economical sectors? This control can be carried out using software.
Using both sides of the sheet
This tip applies to printouts as well as handwritten notes. When this is not possible, use recycled paper. Sometimes there’s no way around it; you really need a sheet of paper to write something or whatever. In this case, choose recycled paper because its production impact is lower than paper made from virgin raw materials.
Two-sided printing
It may not seem very significant, but if we stop to think: instead of 6 thousand impressions, if they are printed two-sided, the number drops to 3 thousand, that is, the cost of printing is reduced by half.
Configuring printing
Before printing, it is important to check the file format to avoid printing sheets with one or two lines of text. If you don’t check the layout, it might come up with an unwanted configuration and you’ll have to print again.
Creating Notepads
You can cut out paper that is printed on only one side and make notepads. An even better option is to use note-taking apps on your cell phone.
In every room
Virtually every room in the house has paper. Subscribe to digital newspapers and magazines. Besides being cheaper than print subscriptions, they also save space in your living room. You can also read books in digital version. Avoid bank statement and mailing charges. Ask the bank not to send printed monthly statements and charges through mail and get all this done digitally. Most energy, water, and telephone companies now offer digital versions of bills, so you can pay directly through your bank’s app. In some cases, one has to sign in to the website to give up the physical bill and subscribe to the digital bill. Write the message on the board. Instead of notes and post-its, how about using blackboards in your bedroom and kitchen? So you can write reminders endlessly without wasting paper. Use cloth napkins. Some models are very beautiful and even match the dishcloths and tablecloths. To get into the habit of using cloth napkins, start using them for special occasions like parties. Events that use paper napkins can generate a lot of waste. Use a cloth coffee filter. The coffee is still delicious (and creamier than coffee made with a paper filter), you save trees, and you save money too. Separate properly. If you have a selective collection at your condominium or home, put the papers in the blue bin. Use scratch paper. Need to make a quick note of something? Use scratch paper.
In school and college
Teachers can enter grades and absences in apps via tablets, notebooks, and cell phones instead of uploading diaries for each class. Similarly, parents can access school information about their children online. In colleges, students can write subject content in notebooks instead of notebooks. Teachers can also make class material available on Google Drive so that there is no need to take notes during class. Once a paper-saving culture is adopted in schools and colleges, it is important to convey the message to students to educate them and make them more aware of the problem of paper wastage.