What can you do to help the environment while also saving money and increasing efficiencies?
The environmental impact of paper and its production on the environment is significant. Here are some surprising facts.
Paper accounts for 34% of the municipal waste stream. Paper impacts the environment both before and after it is used. The production of paper is enormous. It was predicted that by 2020, paper mills would likely produce over 500,000,000 tons of paper and paperboard each year. It is a fact that pulp and paper is the third largest industrial polluter to air, water, and land in North America and is the fifth largest consumer of energy. The production of pulp and paper also uses more water than any industry.
Deforestation
Additionally, 35% of harvested trees are consumed by paper manufacturers. Think of the construction of homes and buildings in your area. Imagine that of all the lumber being used, an additional 1/3 has gone just to paper.
Air Pollution
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are all emitted during paper manufacturing. This is a large contributor to acid rain and greenhouse gasses. During production, emissions of hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, and other volatile sulfur compounds are released into the air.
Water Pollution
Paper manufacturing is a major contributor to water pollution and accounts for 40% of the total waste in the United States (71.6 Million tons per year). Paper recycling mitigates this impact, but not the environmental impact and the energy consumed by manufacturing, transporting, and burying reprocessed paper products.
Summary
You can help reduce the environmental impact of paper and save money while increasing efficiencies. Most people do not know how easy it is now to go paperless in the office, nor do they realize the positive impact it can have to the bottom line of any organization. The impacts are tremendous.
Let’s talk so you can see how easy it is to go paperless in your business. You will also discover the ease of storing, searching, and sharing your documents safely and securely. Your organization will save hours of labor and space, not to mention trees.
