Transitioning to the cloud for data storage and cutting back on paper usage is not only good for your business’s bottom line—it’s also good for the environment. Plus, when your company goes paperless, it can experience other benefits, such as increased productivity, optimized workflows and a seamless, integrated experience—which, in turn, lead to improved employee morale and greater customer satisfaction.
As a leading digital signature technology company that helps other businesses “go green,” we celebrate World Environment Day today and every day. We also hope to educate others about our environment, so here are some facts you should know:
- Approximately 400 million metric tons of paper are produced and consumed globally each year, with the U.S. falling only behind China in the production of paper.
- A recent article about our consumption-driven culture cited that while America has “less than five percent of the world’s population, the U.S. uses one-third of the world’s paper.”
- The U.S. alone cuts down approximately 68 million trees every year just to make paper and paper products.
- Deforestation adds more atmospheric CO2 than the sum total of cars and trucks on the world's roads.
Despite modern society’s affinity for digital life, there’s still room for improvement when it comes to reducing paper waste and conserving our natural resources.
At SIGNiX, we’re proud that our cloud-based Independent E-SignaturesTM help many companies in a variety of industries—including healthcare, financial services, real estate, life sciences and more—transition to eco-friendly, paperless digital processes. In fact, we’ve helped companies save more than enough paper to circle the globe!
Adopting a paperless office isn’t just a feel-good strategy, however. Embracing paperless methods makes business sense for many reasons, including:
- Improved productivity
When processes are handled digitally, employees spend less time physically handling paper— like making copies, filling out forms, mailing contracts and filing documents. Just a few decades ago, work teams relied on stacks of printed, collated and stapled reports. Today they can share a digital document with other team members all around the world. The ability to invoice customers and vendors digitally is also a huge leap from traditional printed paper invoices that had to be folded and stuffed into envelopes, which were run through a postage machine and delivered by mail. The tasks that once required days to complete can now be finished in a matter of minutes.
- Less waste
The average U.S. office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper per year—which adds up to 4 million tons of paper annually—that must ultimately be stored, recycled or shredded. Physical office space is also freed up when documents are digitized and stored in the cloud, which eliminates the burden and cost of filing and storing massive amounts of paperwork.
- Increased savings
The savings associated with going paperless can add up significantly as it eliminates the costs associated with printing, faxing, mailing and more. Shipping costs are reduced when businesses no longer need to mail or overnight documents for signatures. Plus, storing and managing paper records can cost 50 to 75 times more than electronic records, and the expenses associated with maintaining the records in just one standard filing cabinet have been estimated at $2,000 annually.
Paperless workflows are the way of the future. Going green positively impacts our environment, and it boosts productivity and profits. Our digital signature solution technology is helping companies attain paperless status by eliminating unnecessary paper and optimizing workflow, all while ensuring personal and confidential data is secure.