Our society places significant pressure on the environment. Do you—and the organisation you work for—actively consider your environmental impact? Today is World Environment Day, a moment created to raise awareness about our environment and the importance of protecting it. While the world is becoming increasingly digital, vast amounts of paper are still being produced, contributing to deforestation and environmental harm. Going digital (or paperless) and digitising your existing paper archives are excellent ways to enhance the sustainability of your business operations. It’s time to start paying closer attention.
The Environmental Impact of Paper
An estimated 15 billion trees are felled every year. At least 14% of that deforestation is directly linked to paper production. This equates to roughly two billion trees cut down annually just to meet global paper demand. But it doesn’t stop there. The entire process—from felling trees to producing a single sheet of A4 paper—consumes vast quantities of raw materials and energy. The paper industry ranks among the top three largest industrial emitters of greenhouse gases and is also the biggest consumer and polluter of water. In fact, it takes over five litres of water to produce just one A4 sheet of paper.
Working Paperlessly
Sustainability is high on today’s business agenda. Organisations are constantly seeking cost-saving production methods while also aiming to operate more sustainably. Going paperless is a key step in that direction. Besides offering cost savings, improved efficiency, faster searchability, and better data availability, paperless working is a concrete way to reduce environmental impact. Key benefits include:
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Reduced deforestation
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Lower CO₂ emissions
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Less transport
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Less water waste
Many organisations still maintain paper archives and rely heavily on printing and copying. But there is another way. Physical archives take up valuable space, and locating files is often time-consuming. Digitisation makes archives secure, searchable, and accessible—ensuring staff can quickly retrieve the information they need, wherever they are.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
At Archive-IT, we operate in an environmentally conscious manner. For example, we use digital invoices and quotations, and most of our orders are placed digitally. All paper used in our organisation—along with confidential documents scheduled for destruction—is securely shredded and recycled. We also promote carpooling among our employees, and where possible, encourage cycling to work. Employees with a company lease car are required to choose a vehicle that meets defined environmental standards. We’ve also implemented energy-saving measures, such as LED lighting. Recycling and reuse of materials are key pillars of our operations—for example, we reuse packaging materials such as transport boxes.
Human activity has a major impact on the environment and global temperatures. Due to high levels of paper consumption, the negative effects on the environment are only increasing. Digitisation not only benefits the planet—it also boosts workplace efficiency. Would you like to learn more about how the digitisation process works? Archive-IT would be happy to help—feel free to contact us here.
