Humans are at the top of the list among species damaging our environment, and it’s a massive concern in today’s world. We have contributed the most to exploit our natural resources and have reached the point of danger. However we all tend to play our part in saving mother Earth, but now is the time to take practical steps in the right direction, that is, to become eco-friendly and avoid paper in 2023.
The world is shifting toward sustainable solutions; recycling, reusing, and reducing are the new terms we should focus on and work on dedicatedly. Since environmental protection has been under debate by prominent environmentalists, activists, and researchers, businesses have also started shifting their focus on how to save the environment and reduce their carbon footprint. It’s high time we individuals and businesses take bold steps to change business processes and protect our earth because it’s now or never.
Go Green and Save Earth
We covered you if you are one of the businesses considering how your business process has impacted the environment. This blog covers some practical tips to become eco-friendly and go green to save our Earth. Now is the time to act responsibly and take measures to save our planet from contamination and harmful materials being collected in our landfills and oceans for a long.
We have listed some effective methods that could impact Earth’s natural resources. Follow these eight tips to become eco-friendly and avoid paper in 2023. It is the best choice to save Earth from further damage and restore its natural beauty.
- Make Smart Lighting Choices
An average house consumes almost 15% of electricity for lighting purposes and saves around $225 in energy expenses by switching to LEDs yearly. Using energy-smart lighting is one of the practical ways to reduce your electricity consumption and cut your bill costs. Those Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) can help you cut down energy usage by almost 90%, and hence it is a smart choice for businesses that could save almost $3700 per every 25 light bulbs.
- Reduce and Recycle
Among the 3 Rs of waste management, recycling is urgent. Recycle everything: paper, plastic bottles, used gadgets, and worn-out office supplies. The idea is to protect landfills from consuming harmful materials. Everyone has to play an active role.
Thanks to environmental activists like Greta Thunberg, Barry Commoner, David Suzuki, and others who created the modern environmental movement. A systematic environmental movement enabled Earth Day’s universal celebration on April 22 every year before. “The inaugural Earth Day attracted more than 20 million participants and sparked the passage of environmental legislation in 42 states to mark the occasion.” With a dedicated Earth Day, people have moved towards thinking about ways to preserve natural resources.
- Avoid Paper
Reducing your paper usage helps prevent trees from being cut down and alleviates the energy used to convert a tree into a piece of white printing paper. The world has shifted its focus from piling thousands of paper documents to going paperless. It saves costs and could help businesses save significant figures spent on paper for employee use.
Managing paper-free work is more accessible and less time-consuming. As a business, you do not only help protect the environment and cut down your carbon footprint. Paperless business activities would decrease waste production; hence, fewer waste materials will go into landfills. Moreover, less paper consumption during business activities saves precious time and helps you manage operations much better than taking care of large piles of work.
- Switch to Electronic Signatures
Did you know that paper production requires the most energy consumption among all production-based industries? “Americans now use about 31.5 million tons of printing and writing paper annually, equalling about 660 pounds per person. This requires 535 million trees and 12 billion gallons of oil.”
But to this day, no business wants to multiply its paper usage; instead looks for ways to reduce paper consumption to save the environment. We have entered the digital age, but the battle to avoid paper continues; everyone must participate in this effort.
To reduce their carbon footprint, companies have started switching to electronic signatures. It’s a modern-day method to use less paper and reduce the cutting down of trees, and businesses’ CO2 emissions can minimize by signing documents electronically.
Electronic signatures are one of the most innovative methods a business could adopt for increased productivity and high-level security.
- Switch to Green Cleaning Products
Green cleaning products replace those conventional chemically-treated cleaning supplies that are often toxic and hazardous to individual health and the environment with organic-based ones. Natural cleaning products are the best alternative as they contribute to a hazard-free environment compared to the toxic chemicals that go down into the drains and damage our landfills.
With more marketing impact of going green, businesses now use more eco-friendly and natural-made cleaning products that are healthier for the planet and employees. Green cleaning supplies enable a cleaner environment, save costs, and leave a pleasant effect due to a good smell.
- Get Solar Power Solutions
Going for solar solutions is something every business deserves. When companies switch to solar resources for electricity requirements, it can drastically minimize their carbon footprint and save costs. Solar-based electricity consumption will break down your electricity bills, which can help businesses get big tax breaks.
Today, solar energy has gained popularity from a conventional energy source to a budget-friendly alternative. Solar power installation requires less complex methods, wiring costs, and infrastructure. Solar lighting involves easy-to-install panels, LED appliances, and recyclable battery sources; hence it has several environmental aspects. This lighting source lessens carbon footprint, provides emission-free resources, and makes an ideal option for offices, industries, parks, and residential spaces.
- Go Green and save the environment.
Going green is the future. With more conversations started on the need for a greener environment, businesses encourage using more plants and greenery around workplaces, both indoors and outdoors. Nature is therapeutic and helps businesses provide their employees a fresh, clean air for better productivity.
“Smart companies are discovering that it is no longer a choice between going green and growing long-term profits — sustainability is the path to prosperity. So for humanitarian and business reasons, companies of all sizes must take action and embrace the benefits of a green economy.”
- Encourage Eco-Friendly Transportation
Transportation is one of the main contributors to carbon emissions and environmental pollution. Sustainable transportation resources imply vehicles that have less impact on the planet. Switching to walking, cycling, and carpooling are different ways to encourage eco-friendly transportation. Among them, cycling is a modern trend.
Organizations encourage employees to use company transport; some companies offer car-sharing incentives by which they can save time spent in traffic congestion, save transportation expenses, protect from air pollution and boost their physical and mental productivity.
Other benefits of avoiding driving and switching to sustainable transportation include:
- Lesser greenhouse gas emissions
- Lesser usage of non-renewable energy
- Minimum traveling costs
- Maximum physical activity
- Maximum social well-being
- Better and healthier lifestyles
Can your business become eco-friendly with electronic solutions?
Paper Manufacturing is a big enemy.
Paper has been a crucial part of business operations for years. Businesses mostly rely upon paperwork for internal and external business communication. But with digital transformation, electronic solutions tend to bring alternate changes to paper-based activities. Paper manufacturing and its usage in business workflows negatively impact the environment in several ways.
Let’s discuss how paper consumption can adversely affect the environment in the coming years.
Pollution
The paper industry is one of the biggest polluters, contributing to air and water pollution. Indeed, creating pulp and paper releases sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, contributing to acid rain and precipitation that upsets the pH balance of bodies of water and soil.
Paper processing also uses a lot of water; it’s estimated that a single sheet of A4 pulp paper can guzzle up to 10 liters of water during production. That’s a lot of water to print out an email you don’t need. The paper industry produces waste on multiple levels.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
As well as producing sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, the paper industry also emits its share of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane- both of which are significant contributors to global warming. Indeed, transporting pulp and materials from A to B increases the carbon footprint of your paper, as transportation often relies heavily on fossil fuels.
Overall, a single sheet of paper produces 0.0092 lbs of CO2. While that may seem small, it’s estimated that the average office worker uses 10000 sheets of paper each year. It adds up, driving up your business’s carbon footprint. Digital solutions allow you to eliminate these paper-related greenhouse gas emissions.
Deforestation
Deforestation is one of the biggest challenges our planet faces. 80% of the earth’s forests have already been destroyed for resources, agriculture, and paper production. According to the WWF, over 40% of all industrial wood goes into the paper industry and produces materials like paper, cardboard, and tissues.
While deforestation is a massive issue for us humans (trees produce oxygen, after all), it also destroys the habitats of our animal friends and threatens their very existence. It’s estimated that 28,000 species could go extinct in the next 25 years if deforestation continues.
If your business is still reliant on paper for day-to-day administration, your company could inadvertently contribute to mass deforestation with its inefficient operations. Going paperless will eliminate your business’s paper usage, so you can do your bit to help safeguard our forests and the biodiversity within.
While addressing the British Parliament on April 23, 2019, the world’s youngest climate activist, Greta Thunberg, said, “The climate crisis is both the easiest and the hardest issue we have ever faced. The easiest because we know what we must do. We must stop the emissions of greenhouse gases. The hardest because our current economics are still totally dependent on burning fossil fuels, destroying ecosystems, and creating everlasting economic growth.”
Switch to electronic signatures for a simplified business process:
- Write and send important documents while you are at work or traveling.
- Reduce the requirement to print and scan files.
- Get customizable web forms for updating information.
- Download and archive files in an electronic format.
- Track audit log of recipients’ activity – when they sent, opened, and signed the document.