Editor’s Note: This blog was originally posted in February 2019 and has since been updated.
Protecting the environment should be a worldwide priority by now. Every organization should do their part, and one way to do so is by going paperless with GlobalSign’s Digital Signing Service.
Now that businesses have moved to fully remote operations in the wake of the Coronavirus, they are quickly learning that they can no longer rely on paper transactions. What better time to focus on expediting your organization’s digital transformation? In this post, we’ll discuss a few environmental reasons why you should go paperless.
1. Reduce Air Pollution
Making paper involves using machinery that produces more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. For every ton of paper, over 1.5 tons of CO2 emission pollutes the air instantly. Distributing paper around the world requires vehicles, including your company’s delivery service, which in turn contributes to more air pollution. And all of this just to send a signed physical document somewhere? Maybe it’s time to consider signing your documents digitally and help reduce harmful pollutants in the air.
2. Reduce Waste Pollution
Aside from polluting the air, relying on paper also contributes to the incredible amount of waste that’s accumulating in our oceans and in landfills across the globe. According to the Paperless Project, the global consumption of paper products has risen by over 400% over the past four decades. Think about it – it’s not like shredded documents just disappear when you throw then in the trash. Wouldn’t it be easier to just store these documents on a computer where you can dispose any file with a few clicks? That’s how going paperless can help save the Earth big time.
3. Save The Trees
It’s not a secret that paper comes from trees. But you may not realize that in the US alone, 68 million trees get the axe just to make enough paper for a year. Imagine the amount of trees every company will save once they move their existing paper processes online. Your local forest shelter will thank you for choosing a digital service for signing important documents. Plus, keeping the trees safe will help make the air we breathe a lot cleaner. It’s a win-win situation your company simply can’t ignore.
4. Conserve Water
Meanwhile, most people don’t realize that making paper also requires water. Every one sheet of paper requires three gallons of water to make. That’s a bit much, don’t you think? By going paperless, your company can also help conserve the water in our already drying planet. Signing your documents digitally is so easy, you can do it right from your laptop while sipping on a refreshing cup of water that you saved from going paperless.
5. Prevent Deforestation
Deforestation is a separate problem because it’s not only the trees that are affected, all living species that rely on trees as shelter also have a stake on this matter. Most of the endangered species in the world happen to live in forests, and mankind is already taking 18.7 million acres of forests in a year. Just take the orangutans as an example. One Green Planet reports that 50,000 of these loveable creatures died in the last 50 years due to different methods of deforestation. This alone should be enough to go paperless, don’t you think?
Learn more about how GlobalSign can help you implement our cloud-based Digital Signing Service in your organization. And be sure to download our free eBook, Digital Signatures Made Easy.
