Start with paper

April 27, 2008

You’d be surprised how much money you can save on paper with just a few tips. Why not start saving money, water and trees today? Here’s how.
Save paper the easy way

First the facts
10,000 sheets of copy paper each year are used by EACH worker in the US.

The United States single-handedly consumes 30% of the world’s paper.

Over 40% of wood pulp goes toward the production of paper

The total costs of using paper in the office can run 13 to 31 times the cost of purchasing the paper in the first place!

What does that mean? For every sheet of paper used, calculating purchasing costs, storage, copying, printing, postage, disposal, and recycling—So, a ream of paper that you paid $5 for can cost up to $155!

Citigroup did a study that showed if each employee used double-sided copying to save just one sheet of paper a week, the firm would save $700,000 a year.

Environmental costs
It takes more than 12 ounces of water to make one sheet of paper.
Over 40% of wood pulp goes toward the production of paper.



What can you do?

  • Set your printer defaults to print double-sided, and make double-sided copies when possible.
  • Use paper printed on only one side in your fax machine, for draft copies or internal documents, or as scratch paper.
  • When you’re done with single sided copies, cut them into 1/2 or 1/4 sheets and staple together to use for notepads
  • Use the print preview to spot formatting errors and blank pages before you print. Proofread first, and use the spell/grammar tool to help avoid errors that can cause documents to be reprinted.
  • Print only the pages you need. If only a few pages of the document are needed, print only those pages instead of the whole report.
  • Promote a “think before you copy” attitude. Consider sharing some documents with co-workers, or using presentation software instead of printing for meetings
  • Email memos and newsletters that employees should see, but do not need to keep.
  • Use revision features in word processing software instead of printing out drafts and making hand-written comments.
  • Store forms electronically so hey can be printed only when needed.
  • Create electronic versions of letterhead, so when you move or the letterhead needs updating you don’t throw all the old stuff away!
  • Buy recycled-content paper, preferably made from paper pulp recycled without chlorine.
  • Fix the copiers and printers. A copier that works well is less likely to jam and this helps save paper
  • Use shredded non-sensitive documents for packing material.

    • Filed Under Green business, Living green 

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