Paperless is a buzz word that is gaining momentum. It is one of those sustainability concepts that is a bit easier to grasp because it's tangible and with the help of technology, more resources are available to help small businesses capture the benefits of paperless minus the hassle and costs. Most business leaders identify cost savings as the driver towards moving towards a paperless office. Granted, reduced consumption and eliminating storage space does save money. However, the added bonuses of increased productivity and the availability to work remotely make moving to a paperless office appealing. As we've found on our business sustainability programs, it's the triple bonus of reducing environmental impacts that makes going paperless the winner.
Why? Most businesses can justify cost savings and productivity enhancement programs but some are just now taking steps on the path to business sustainability. Moving towards a paperless office offers enough traditional business gains to make the move and the environmental piece is a safe way to expand eco awareness.
Within our business sustainability consulting, we explain that when it comes to paper, producing paper from virgin fiber is both energy and water intensive. It releases significant amounts of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. By choosing to use less paper and paper with recycled content you are making the choice to save wood, water and energy, and cut pollution and solid waste. The costs savings add up and the environmental impact goes down.
Small businesses resources are available to jump start a paperless program. While our sustainability consulting recommends a comprehensive sustainability plan, these resources offer entry points to cost savings, increased productivity, and environmental reductions associated with paperless office systems.
Intuit's GreenSnapshot: Small business owners can use the tool to gain insights to the impacts of the business and use those insights to expand eco awareness in the business. Start by communicating the initial findings to suppliers and employees, look for quick wins to reduce the impact, and set out for longer term initiatives.
Zumbox is the first all-digital online alternative to the traditional paper postal service, and if you have a street address, you can already start using it. Note, Zumbox is not email. It is based on permanent street addresses.
allEtronic is a service that allows businesses of any size to provide their customers with paperless receipts. allEtronic provides a software add-on or “patch” to retailers’ existing Point of Sale (POS) software so that they may utilize the paperless receipt service. For the consumer, allEtronic promises a secure means to receive, store, track, and access information about their purchases from participating businesses through a single, centralized location on the allEtronic web site.
CRM, Customer Relationship Management, is definitely the Swiss Army Knife in the business plan toolbox for small businesses committed to increase sales, improve efficiencies and build a sustainable business. The benefits of small businesses using a CRM system to build business sustainability include the development of better relations with your prospects, customers, and stakeholders.
Document Management Software: Look for a web based document system that meets your compliance, workflow, document management, online forms, and portal delivery needs. Other attractive features include detailed history tracking, audit reporting, version control, and scanning/capture capabilities. The benefits you can expect are numerous: increased productivity, eliminate storage space, reduce expenses, work remotely, increase security and better disaster recovery protection.
Social media is an opportunity for your business to engage in conversation by publishing information, promoting others, asking questions and gathering feedback. Engaging in community is embracing the sustainability concept of stakeholder engagement. While using social media does utilize energy, it is a more sustainable option compared to the traditional practice of printing and mailing business literature only to have recipients file or throw away the material. The traditional practice is more energy, carbon, and resource intensive than the act of using online resources.
Becoming a paperless office can be part of a sustainability plan or be an independent environmental action taken to reduce the business' carbon footprint. Take the Paperless Challenge and explore strategies and tips to becoming a paperless office. 
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