The concept of the paperless office is not a new one – in fact, the idea sprouted into life many decades ago. However, in recent years, discussions around the ideology of paper-free environments have really picked up speed, with socially-aware companies seeking new ways to limit their print outputs – and in return, receive a multitude of benefits.
It is quite surprising then that Altodigital’s study into the attitudes of UK businesses towards the paperless office has revealed some rather shocking, and negative, statistics. The research (taken from 1,000 decision makers at businesses across the UK) suggests that a mere 5% of companies believe they will be paper-free within the next five years, or ten years (11%) – with a further 76% thinking that the printed page would remain mission critical to their business’ operations.
The study indicates that rather than heading towards a paperless office environment, some companies are veering in the opposite direction – with inefficient document storage practices and growing volumes of wasted paper.
Of course, this is not applicable to all businesses – many companies are already implementing digital replacements to find their way towards a paper-free office, but clearly a little education is required to stop companies from wasting their precious resources – and start embracing digital methods.
Read some of our recent client case studies to see how digitisation is helping businesses.