2023 Resolution for the Environment: Go Paperless

We live in times where the environment is on the edge of being destroyed due to the depletion of natural resources. The usage of paper contributes to an alarming amount of deforestation and other environmental problems. According to worldatlas.com, approximately 80,000 to 160,000 trees are cut down every day, a notable amount is used for producing paper. Even though recycling is always an option, it has been found that the process produces a significant quantity of waste. The obvious solution here is to reduce or even completely eliminate the use of paper as much as possible.

That is why it is time to take the much-needed resolution for the environment this 2021 - Going Paperless!

Read on to know why you should consider going paperless and some tips to help you with the transition.

Impact of Paper on the Environment

As said earlier, using paper has a significant impact on the environment. The paper industry is also responsible for the production of chemicals that are harmful to the environment. To produce one ton of office paper, it is estimated that 24 trees are used and about 20,000 gallons of water are contaminated in the process. Not only this - after use, most people just throw away their paper in landfills instead of recycling them. This leads to an increase in overall waste production and more acres of woodland being cleared.

Recycling paper products can save further trees being cut down for producing more paper. While it might seem like an obvious solution since you would think using recycled material would be better than using fresh wood products. However, isn't going paperless better than using recycled paper. No more usage of huge amounts of energy while creating new paper products from recycled ones.

Precisely, the impact of paper on the environment include -

• Consumption of lots of wood for producing paper increasing deforestation
• The paper production process requires more water
• Paper waste thrown by us contributes to more than 25% of landfill waste
• The production process itself releases so much waste

Reasons to Go Paperless in 2021

Saves Environment

There are a variety of ways how going paperless can help the environment. First and foremost, it helps you save trees from being cut down every year to produce fresh paper products. Though wood is a renewable resource, just like every natural resource, we're depleting it at an alarming rate.

The paper production process uses gallons and gallons of water which can be reduced greatly when you reduce your paper consumption.

Also, there are various chemicals and wastes that are let out while producing paper from wood. These byproducts when left unattended can contaminate our environment.

When you go paperless, you do a great favor to your environment by reducing deforestation, water consumption, pollution, and much more.

Saves Time and Money

Another reason why you should consider cutting back on paper usage is that it saves your time and money. With all these digital documents, you don't need to print them out every time they are needed. This considerably reduces the printing costs involved in the process.

It, also, saves time involved in printing and sharing documents and other paper files. You can leverage the benefits of technology to do things more efficiently. There are tools to create documents, scan files, send fax online and even sign documents digitally. Above all, sharing is incredibly easy and time-saving when you go paperless and use digital ways.

No More Space-consuming File Cabinets

There is no bigger space-consuming clog in our office than the file cabinets. Paper files and documents take up a lot of space in these cabinets. In fact, you'll be surprised to know that there is so much unused information stored in them, most of which we're never going to use again.

Digital files can be compressed and put into archives with ease. Plus, when it comes time for filing things away, storage can be done on remote servers or external USB drives. This not only saves room but gives you the flexibility of access anytime from anywhere you want.

To Ensure Contactless Workflow

Going paperless can be a great 2021 resolution because digitizing your process can help you keep a safe distance between people and paper. You don't need to manually meet people to hand over paper files or get them signed. Be it legal documents or tax files, you can effortlessly use online sharing, scanning, or even e-signature services like Cocosign.

How Do You Go Paperless in 2021?

Reduce Printing

Reduce paper printing usage to the minimum. One great way you can do this is by creating documents and files digitally and opting for digital rather than printed copies whenever possible.

Personally, you can start reducing printing by keeping your printers out of the frequently used areas. Usage of printers may be inevitable in certain business situations. However, when you use centralized printers available only in a certain place of the office, people tend to use them less.

Use Electronic Financial Statements

If you are using paper-based financial statements, it is time you switched to electronic files. A great place to start can be with invoices. If your business is creating them in say Microsoft word or pdf, then it makes sense to keep these files in an e-file format that is password protected and tamper-proof. This ensures that no one can alter the important figures of the file compromising the whole purpose of filing valid records for accounting purposes.

Use Digital Documents

You can completely convert your document handling workflow into a digital one. You can effectively use online document processing tools like Microsoft Word or Google Docs for this purpose. Additionally, digital documents offer the convenience of storing and sharing with just a click of your finger. Plus, you can take advantage of templates when you switch to digital. For example, you can quickly fill out legal templates for Microsoft Word that would have taken hours to write if you started from scratch.

Try Digital Note-taking

Digital note-taking has taken a huge leap in recent times and it is an effective way of going paperless. You can use tools like Evernote for this purpose, as they offer a great ability to capture notes, images and record voice memos on the go. With electronic pens that can be used on tablet devices or iPad, taking notes on a digital device is more like writing on paper, only with more features and advantages.

Leverage the Power of Digital Project Management Apps

If you are someone who has multiple to-do task stickers hanging on your wall, then probably you might want to shift to digital alternatives. This makes sure you don't use too much paper that will obviously be going to the garbage. Try digital project management apps like Trello, Asana, Google Tasks, or explore various Jira alternatives that can elevate your productivity. This can even enable you to collaborate with your team members, assign tasks to them, track progress, and much more making sure your entire workflow is in check.

Go with E-file Storage

You might want to consider creating a digital filing cabinet that is easy to access from anywhere at any time. This not only helps you keep your files more organized but makes them easily retrievable when required. Furthermore, using external hard drives or remote servers gives you the freedom of accessing all your digital documents irrespective of where you are.

Use eSignature Services

The need for signatures is one of the major reasons why most of the documents are printed on paper. The documents will be printed on paper, sent to the concerned person to get approval, it is signed and then sent back. Why go through all these when there should be a faster and easier way to go about it. The smart solution is to use an eSignature service that enables you to sign documents electronically. This not only makes the whole process paperless but also saves time and money. Cocosign is one of the most easy-to-use and reliable digital signature services you can use to get your documents signed.

Summary

There are numerous advantages associated with going paperless other than reducing deforestation and environmental pollution. It also saves money, time, and the effort your put in handing those papers. Considering the current global situation, taking this resolution of 'Going Paperless' is very much needed for the environment.