Among all the different business technologies that are environment-friendly, going paperless deserves a special mention. While the paperless trend has been around for quite some time, most businesses are yet to adopt the technology. As going paperless involves adopting new business technologies, you will need a solid preparation.
And the preparation starts with identifying how we consume paper and understanding how the traditional system affects your business and the environment. It is estimated that an average office worker uses about 10,000 sheets of paper per year. In a single year, the total paper consumption in the USA requires cutting down 68 million trees.
During the last 40 years, the worldwide paper consumption has increased almost fourfold. This incredibly high amount of paper consumption definitely takes its toll on the environment. In the USA, paper manufacturing is considered the third-most pollutant industrial process. And if the current trend of paper consumption continues, you might not have any rainforests left within the next 100 years.
Now that you know what the effects are, let’s take a look at the benefits of going paperless. Financial benefits are the most obvious ones here. When you stop using too much paper, you won’t have to waste money on storage, printing, copying and energy bills. In general, if a company with 8 employees goes paperless, it can expect to save up to $10,000 per year.
And then, there are the ecological benefits as well. The paper production process requires a large amount of fresh water. An average US office worker can save approximately 1,000 gallons of fresh water per year by going paperless. You will also enjoy a better, more productive work process in your business.
With all these benefits, going paperless should really be one of your top business goals for the next year. Here is an excellent infographic by Ademero with more details on the impact of a paper-based system:
Here’s Why Going Paperless is a Must for your Business (Infographic):
This infographic is submitted by Marie K.Powell. He is a business, technology and environment specialist with years of experience in the field. While working at Ademero.com, she is always trying to find the best ways to go green in every possible way.
