Paperless institution: Fantasy or Emerging Reality.

Sam’s pen

Environment issues not only affect humans but became a concern for every other species and nation these days. Environmental concerns have equitably become both local and global issues. In order to protect the environment and the world, we are changing our lifestyles and altering certain practices. While environmental issues such as global warming, climate change, waste disposal, water pollution, etc have become both local and global concerns, one of the newer initiatives for improving the quality of the environment is to reduce the consumption of paper. As is common knowledge, trees and other organic materials are the source of paper. We must understand the history and origin of paper if we are to go paperless. The earliest type of paper ever used in human civilization is known to be Papyrus. It was made of something resembling heavy paper.

Papyrus was developed by the ancient Egyptians from the Cyperus papyrus plant around 4000 BC. The other name of it is Nile grass. It is a type of water flowering plant that belongs to the Cyperaceae family.  It was manufactured from a woven mat of stems that was crushed into a hard, thin sheet. Actually, paper is a sheet of uniformly spread cellulose fibers. Plant cell wall contains much cellulose fibers. Consequently, plant material with much more cell wall is a source of the “pulp” from which paper is made.

Modern days paper was first created by Ts'ai Lun, a Chinese royal official, around 105 AD. Due to the evolution of our needs, paper has become an integral part of humankind. Without paper, thinking in today's world is either impossible or very difficult. Nowadays, people are thinking differently to utilize fewer papers. Some firms are already lowering paper usage via duplexing, cutting margins, reducing font sizes, font kinds, and line spacing, on-screen proof reading, adopting PDF, and eliminating hard copies. However, these are insufficient to handle the challenges.

Some figures or facts may support the idea if we wish to go more into the motivations behind such initiatives or the need to reduce paper use. According to a statistical analysis, 32% of the Indian paper industry uses wood as a raw material for creating paper.  22% are based on agricultural residue, while 46% are based on wastepaper. In terms of per capita paper consumption, the world average is 55 kg, with the United States having the highest usage at 217 kg. It is merely 13 kg in India. Other regions' values are as follows: UK-135 kg, Europe-125 kg. Africa weighed 7 kg, but China weighed 76 kg. 

Now, concerns about India's low consumption levels may surface. Some intellectuals feel that because of our natural conservatism, Indians hold the view that "Nothing Should Be Wasted."

On the basis of uses papers can be classified like thin and smooth papers are used for writing and printing, thicker and occasionally textured papers for arts and crafts, thick papers for packaging, and thin and cheap papers for news print. In India, the education sector consumes the most paper.

When we calculate the cost of paper, we may be surprised. One-thousand-kilogram A4 paper (400 reams) requires 3470 kg of wood, which is equivalent to 24.29 trees, and 387 lakh butts of energy, which is equivalent to half a year's worth of energy for a US home. The amount of solid waste created is 1.04 kg, and the amount of emission is 2662.04 kg, which is equivalent to a car's half-year emission. A total of 77.68 kilo liter of water are required, which is equivalent to 0.03 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The amount of water wasted is 49.85 kg. However, the true cost of paper is more. It comprises the expense of paper as well as printing, photocopying, electricity, and document shredding. 

Humanity has already taken some steps towards saving the papers vis-à-vis the environment. Frederick Wilfrid Lancaster came up with the idea in 1978. Concepts of a paperless office or institution have since emerged. A paperless society is one in which electronic communication and storage are used in place of paper communication such as letters, documents, and other correspondence. It often known as workplace that utilizes little actual paper. It generally uses digital documents instead of paper. A worker who has completely eliminated or significantly decreased the use of paper at work is known as a paperless employee and this is the future.

In today's digital age, many corporate procedures may be completed online; consequently, organizations are aiming to eliminate paper usage entirely from their business practices. It's a noble goal, yet there are many unanswered questions.

Since personal computers formed the foundation of the modern workplace, the concept of a totally paperless office has existed. Despite the popularity of electronic papers and email, the majority of organizations continue to rely on paper documents. Going paperless has numerous advantages, ranging from resource savings to increased security. However, many company operations still rely on paper, from meeting handouts to HR onboarding forms to invoices.

Paper consumes a lot of room, as do filing cabinets and the space required to store those filing cabinets. Books and bookcases are also large. This is especially true in areas with extensive statutory retention periods for documents, such as the financial sector. It may need to pay someone to help and keep track of and organize things. Going paperless solves all of these concerns. Physical papers are difficult to track since reams of paper might be misfiled, lost, or destroyed without anybody noticing.

Digitization saves money on paper, printers, ink, mail, office space for files, and employee time spent on paperwork management. moreover, manufacturing paper products emits greenhouse gases, which contribute to deforestation and global warming. The majority of paper eventually ends up in a landfill. Ink and toners also contain volatile chemicals and non-renewable ingredients that are harmful to the environment.

Document tracking, password protection, version control, and accessibility filters are among the sophisticated technology features of an online document management system. One can go beyond the standard security precautions of locking file cabinets and shredding procedures with these solutions to ensure the security of  critical data.

Document management software simplifies the process of saving documents. The app quickly creates digital documents by scanning them, capturing them with a camera on a phone or tablet, or importing any file type or format. Many popular products, such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat, interface with document management systems and include native plugins that enable to file document into content management system with a single click. The benefits of a paperless workplace extend beyond access rights. Implementing document management software also enables organizations to use electronic signatures, safe record keeping, checking and perform other things.

This proposal, like other new projects, has some unfavorable thoughts or may be labelled as a disadvantage. A paperless office will still necessitate the use of company resources. To begin, because everything is technological, it will need to hire an IT specialist to integrate and maintain data platform. Second, it is critical that everyone in the office be on the same page when implementing new technologies. This means that personnel will need to be trained on how to integrate the new technology into their workflow, which will take time and money.

Transferring material to a totally digital format is a two-edged sword. Even with security precautions in place, there is still a chance that a hacker will take data. While there are preventative measures one can take against malware, it's important to note that if any person want to go paperless, investing in cyber security will need to be a key priority for the organization.

Digitization of documents takes time. It takes time and human resources to convert everything to a new format, if these are related with years of pre-exiting papers, i.e. legacy data. Even if any one decided to filter and sift out what to keep and what to discard, the process might be perplexing. Using paper is sometimes a need rather than a choice. Certain businesses, such as finance, require tangible paperwork to meet compliance criteria. As a result, if any organization goes totally digital, any one may face legal consequences for noncompliance. It should come as no surprise that going paperless enhances an office ecosystem and is better for the environment. With paper accounting for 50% of a organization's trash, it’s no surprise that eliminating paper is a wise and environmentally aware option. While being completely paperless is admirable, it is not the most feasible aim. What can be done, though, is to use less paper. Quality Digital Office Supplies will assist in maximizing the benefits of converting to a wholly digital office while minimizing the drawbacks of going paperless.  Physical papers will always have a place in the office, but digitalization and soft processing will help to reduce paper usage in a way that makes sense for an organization.  At the call of nature, we must all make all institutions paperless in the coming days.

            Finally, if we wish to develop measures to reduce paper consumption, all stakeholders must come to a consensus. What are you printing? What materials are being used to print? Is it absolutely necessary to print? The measures for reducing paper and excess abuse of it should be ingrained in an individual’s mind from a very early age. A careful use of papers, a slow but effective transition to paperless transactions, and being cognizant about developing a personal preference to go paperless would soon bring the necessary changes in the community and reduce the waste of paper products.      

******************

Citation: online resources.