Increasing Paper Efficiencies: At Home and At Work

Help protect endangered forests by using paper wisely

• Read newspapers online, read magazines from the library or buy digital magazine subscriptions

• Have your name removed from catalogue mail lists

• Post a "no unaddressed mail" notice on your post box

• Avoid printing your emails

• Buy 100% post consumer recycled paper for your printer

Photocopiers

• Set photocopy machines to double-sided by default. Your photocopy technician can perform this simple service.

• Introduce codes for use of photocopiers. This will provide everyone with insights to their consumption by tracking the paper consumption of various departments. This is particularly helpful and motivating when working towards increasing efficiencies. Add a little incentive to your paper efficiency drive - set up inter-departmental competitions or annual targets for each department based on the previous quarter/year's consumption.

• Adjust photocopy machine for recycled paper to avoid any potential of copier jamming.

• When purchasing new printers and photocopy equipment, ensure they can easily print double sided.

Mail

• Wherever possible shift to electronic bills and online application forms. For clients who require hardcopies, print double sided bills and application forms, and design printed copies to minimize paper use.

• Reduce the basis weight of the paper - it will save postage costs.

• Where possible, reuse envelopes for correspondence. Use address labels to cover original information.

• Use inter-office envelopes which can be re-used multiple times.

Computers and the Paperless Office

• Use your computer to reduce paper consumption not increase it!

General Office Use

• Reduce the basis weight of the paper. E.g. switch from a 24lb sheet for general office use to a 20lb sheet.

• Post memos on a central bulletin board.

• For editing processes, have several people edit the same document using different colour ink and track changes.

• Use single sided waste paper for printing drafts.

• Maximize formatting by reducing font size and increasing margins.

• Buy 100% post consumer recycled copy paper. See the ecopaper database for options.

Company Documents and Reports

• Reduce size of printed pieces by working with your designer and printer to try creative formatting to maximize use of parent sheets for printing.

• Post reports electronically.

• Reduce the basis weight of paper used.

Faxes

• Program your machine to eliminate printed confirmation sheets.

• Format fax carefully so that excessive pages are eliminated.