THE UN Global Assessment report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, published on 6 May, has highlighted the need for everyone to make changes to save the planet. But what can office workers do to help?
You may be surprised to find that saving natural resources can improve business efficiencies and controls as well as the environment.
Northamptonshire-based Invu Services Limited estimates the use of its software is saving around 35,000 trees per annum.
Research has found the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper per year, and has identified that it takes one tree to produce around 8,000 sheets of paper. That is roughly one tree per year per office worker.
Additionally, estimates start at 10 years to grow a tree capable of producing this much paper. That is ten trees required to sustain the annual work of each office worker.
Research on the carbon footprint of this annual paper usage identifies that it represents about 30 per cent of the footprint of a new car (based on 10,000 miles per annum).
Improvements in technology have resulted in reduced carbon emissions from each new car.
Old office practices can also be developed to reduce their carbon footprint and improve business efficiency.
Companies whose business processes are based on paper often struggle to manage information. Problems storing, sharing and controlling access to paper documents is often compounded by the time spent extracting data from the paperwork.
These inefficiencies result in extra costs such as rent for storing physical documents, and missed opportunities due to mundane tasks like data entry, crowding out time that could be spent developing the business.
One of Invu’s customers, who manufacture and service lifts, saved the equivalent of a whole floor when they moved offices by changing from paper to digital documents.
At the same time, they significantly upgraded their business processes by making access to documents easier, improving customer service and added further value by automating their accounts payable process.
Visit Invu Services’ website to learn how to reduce paper usage and improve efficiency at www.invu.net