The concept of a ‘paperless’ office was once a lofty goal as workplaces moved into the new millennium. But how does that translate into reality in 2018? Many workplaces have made great improvements in their sustainable paper use, but there’s always room for more!
We’ve put together some top tips on keeping paper use as sustainable as possible, whilst balancing the practicality of it still being a needed resource.
Minimise and maximise!
- We’ve all seen the tagline on emails ‘consider the environment before printing’, and at Planet Ark we agree! Minimise the need to print by reading on a screen when possible, and use tools in Microsoft Office or Google documents to update live documents.
- If printing is required, maximise your paper use by printing on both sides when possible. Use out of date letterheads or papers with old logos for informal internal printing, or make notebooks.
- Encourage paper recycling, with under desk recycling bins.
Make the right choice
- Not all paper is made equal. Consider the best sustainable option available when procuring office paper. Planet Ark Paper is carbon neutral, FSC certified, 100 % recycled Australian Made office paper. This not only means you are using high-quality office paper with a low environmental impact, it also means you are supporting Planet Ark's campaigns which is a win-win all round!
- If you’re printing, then you must have a printer. Are you recycling your cartridges? Sign up for our FREE Cartridges 4 Planet Ark recycling program - if you use more than 3 printer cartridges a month, you may qualify for a workplace collection box. Alternatively, find your nearest drop-off location here.
Want to do more?
- Save the date in your office diary for a Friday File Fling on November 16th, and have fun while decluttering and getting good quality office paper back into circulation by recycling.
- Find out where to recycle our materials at BusinessRecycling.com.au.
- Find out more about recycling initiatives in your workplace at recyclingweek.planetark.org/business/.