We are living in a time when it is more and more important for us to be eco-conscious. So much damage has already been done that we now have to take decisive action to take care of our planet. One of the big things that you can do in order to make a difference is to start using less paper. Here are some digital alternatives that you can try so as to avoid cutting down more trees.
e-Tickets
If you are going travelling or to an event, you will need to take a ticket with you. Most companies are now using e-tickets, which are digital confirmations of your place. Cartridge Save recently conducted a survey of 1,685 British adults and found that 81% of them were happy to use e-tickets. Only 17% of people are uncomfortable with doing so, mostly due to concerns over battery life. Those aged over 65 were the least likely to use e-tickets, showing that in a few years’ time, we may see paper tickets start to be a thing of the past.
Digital Wallets
Digital wallets have not yet caught on as much as e-tickets have. Only 30% of those asked in the study used one, even though many people have heard of them before – over 60%. But a digital wallet can save hugely on not just paper but plenty of other resources. You don’t have to carry around paper money, and you also don’t need a receipt when all of the details of your transaction are right there on your smartphone. We should be thinking about digital wallets as an option for saving paper and plastic.
Digital Files and Email
Do you really need that document on a piece of paper? Do you need to get a letter to give you information? The answer to both is almost always no. You can always keep a digital copy of a file, backed up if it is important. You can also always receive an email rather than a letter. Try to use paperless options where possible, signing up for emails instead. You can also encourage your colleagues at work to send you files as an email attachment rather than bringing you a piece of paper. This will help cut down on filing, too!
Cloud Storage
When talking about filing, we can’t gloss over cloud storage. This solution allows us to hold countless amounts of data up in the cloud, instead of on paper files. You can back everything up to different servers, and there’s no paper involved at all. It’s so much harder to destroy or lose digital files than physical ones, and cloud storage is unlimited. What’s not to like? You can scan old documents, put them in the cloud, and recycle the paper so that we have more renewable paper sources instead of having to go back to cut down more trees.
Cloud Software
Finally, cloud software can also help you to cut down on paper massively. You don’t need to send a fax anymore, because you can send an email attachment or just upload the file to the cloud. It’s possible to have a team working remotely on the same document. This is even helpful if you are all sitting in the same office, because it means you can make your changes on the same digital file instead of handing new print-outs around every five minutes. Think about the way you process information to save on paper.
Protecting the environment for future generations is hugely important, and cutting down on paper is just one small part of this.