Reduce office paper waste

Paper waste in the office not only harms the planet, it also impacts companies’ bottom lines. Fortunately, there are simple actions that organisations can take to cut paper waste in the workplace, and to ensure that the paper they do use is sustainably sourced. This is good news not only for the environment, but also for businesses’ finances and their green credentials.

As an office supplies provider, you can play an important role in helping your customers to make their workplaces leaner and greener when it comes to this crucial issue. A big part of this is helping your clients to choose the most eco-responsible paper supplies available. You can also offer tips to help them use paper in the most sustainable ways.

How to reduce paper waste in the workplace

Before we get into the specifics of how businesses can cut paper waste, it’s important to counter a common myth. It’s often assumed that eliminating paper usage is the holy grail of environmental sustainability in this area. Clearly, as a paper supplier, this is something that threatens your business. However, in reality, companies switching entirely to paperless web-based systems has its own environmental impact. For example, in 2019, the Information and Communication Technology sector produced 53.6 million metric tonnes of e-waste globally, and it is predicted that by 2030, the industry could be using over half of global electricity.
 
Paper, on the other hand, is made from wood (a renewable resource) and it’s one of the most recycled products in the world. When sourced sustainably, it is an excellent example of the circular economic model of make, use, recycle, reuse.
 
The key is to achieve a sensible balance. By reducing paper wastage, choosing the most eco-friendly paper products, and harnessing tech where appropriate, businesses can make themselves as green as possible in this area. This is a message that office supplies providers should be getting out loudly and clearly to their target audience. 

In terms of offering concrete tips to help your customers boost their green bona fides on this topic, you can recommend that they: 

Purchase paper from brands with high environmental standards 

Firstly, it is essential that businesses choose paper suppliers with impeccable environmental standards. After all, not all papers are created equal; some are much kinder to the planet than others. At Antalis, we pride ourselves on the sustainability of the products we sell. As part of this, we operate a Green Star System™ for papers that rates products from zero to five based on their environmental performance against key criteria, including the origin of the fibre and the manufacturing process. For example, our rating system looks at the environmental certifications that products have received and the percentage of recycled material they include.

We also offer a range of products with Cradle to Cradle certification. This assesses products across five environmental criteria, including water and soil stewardship, material health, air and climate protection, social fairness and product circularity. 

As a supplier, it is vital that you offer detailed information to customers on the sustainability of the products you sell so that they can make confident and informed purchasing decisions.

Buy their paper in bulk

As a paper supplier, you can work with your customers to incentivise bulk ordering. This type of ordering is much more efficient than making lots of small-scale purchases. For example, fewer larger orders require less packaging than a greater number of small-scale orders, cutting waste. In addition, bulk ordering reduces transport emissions because it requires fewer deliveries. 

As well as helping businesses to become more eco-responsible, this approach to ordering can have practical benefits for your customers. For example, you might offer discounts for bulk purchasing, saving your customers money. Larger orders also help ensure organisations always have a steady supply of paper, reducing the likelihood of urgent print runs caused by paper shortages. 

Follow best practice in the office

You may want to offer best practice guidance to your customers to help them further reduce paper waste in their workplaces. For example, you could advise them to: 

Install paper recycling bins - The last place paper should end up is landfill. To prevent this from happening, companies can provide clearly labelled paper recycling bins in locations that are convenient for workers. They should ensure there are enough of these bins, and that people know about them.
 
Optimise document formatting - Before workers print documents, they should consider their formatting to see if there are ways to reduce the number of pages required. For example, they might be able to reduce margins and lower the font size. Whenever possible, they can use double-sided printing too.
 
Think before printing - While paper certainly has its place in eco-friendly offices, people should think twice before hitting ‘print’. Do they really need a hard copy of that document, or is it just as convenient to access it on their computers? 
 
Introduce hot desking - One often overlooked benefit of hot desking is the fact that it discourages the buildup of unnecessary paperwork. When desks are shared and people have to move around to find available spaces, they may be less likely to print off unnecessary copies of documents.
 
Provide staff training and raise awareness - Staff members should be brought on board with the push to cut paper waste in the office. This means communicating the environmental and business benefits to workers, and providing them with relevant training and information on everything from paper procurement to where recycling points are situated.

To discover more about the sustainability of our paper products, including our Green Star System™ and Cradle to Cradle certifications, simply browse our website or contact our team.