Business Guide To Paper Reduction
Heather Sarantis for ForestEthics

PDF PDF copy of Business Guide to Paper Reduction

This report is available for free from the ForestEthics website in PDF format. ForestEthics a non-profit environmental organisation based in the USA and Canada. They aim to protect forests, mostly through raising awareness of business activities that are destroying forests. Although it was written in 2002 it is still a useful guide. With plenty of case studies within the report the reader gets many ideas on how to manage their paper reduction project. There are also idea-packed appendices, which are very useful.

The age of the report has the advantage of showing how far we have come since it was written. Many of the case studies are written before the internet was widely used in households. Therefore the examples of how companies have moved bills and reports onto their websites prove the impact the web has had on paper reduction. The case studies of the Bank of America and AT&T really show how saving paper within the office saves money.

Readers are asked to view the report as a tool kit for the management of their paper reduction campaign, and starts off by reminding us that most companies find 'that reducing paper consumption can improve efficiency and reduce costs'. As well as increase their green credentials. The hidden cost of an office dependant on paper are also highlighted, such as storage space and lost files.

The report stresses the importance of getting buy-in through out the office. Senior managers really do have to see the benefits to your paper reduction scheme, as they may have to give people time off from their day-to-day work. Also having a team made up of different departments makes it a lot easier to spread your ideas and goals.

One of the starting points for this business guide is to complete a paper consumption audit. This audit consists of seven questions:

  1. How is paper purchased throughout the company?
  2. Whose approval is needed to change the paper for each commodity group?
  3. How much of each type of paper is purchased?
  4. How much paper is used per commodity group?
  5. What is the paper weight of each type of paper purchased?
  6. What is the fibre content of each type of paper?
  7. How much does each type of paper cost?