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Paper Challenge

by Stephanie Terrell — last modified May 04, 2011 01:25 PM

Reduce operating costs, increase employee efficiency, and green your business today!

Paper ChallengeFor every dollar spent on printing documents, companies typically incur $6 in handling and distribution costs, according to a Xerox study.[1]  This same study found that businesses typically throw away about half of all documents within 24 hours of printing. 

Much of this paper waste is still going into our landfills.  In fact, about 170 tons of paper is sent to Seattle’s landfills each day from Seattle businesses. 

Over the course of a year Seattle paper waste contributes about 9,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the same as the emissions from consuming 972,000 gallons of gasoline.

Join other Seattle businesses by signing the Paper Challenge today, and make your business more efficient, reap cost savings, and get recognized for your efforts!

Follow the steps below and submit your pledge today!

Step 1: Sign the challenge at one of three levels: Green, Greener, Greenest
(Required)
Add up your points below to confirm your level of participation.



Step 2: Select required and optional activities
Please complete your pledge by December 15, 2010.
(Required)
  Already implemented Planned to implement
Set duplex as default on all printers and establish policy that all copy and print jobs should be double-sided.
Add or enhance scanning capabilities to share and store documents electronically. Add Adobe PDF conversion capabilities to employee computers.
Purchase and use at least 40% post-consumer recycled-content paper.
Place desk-side recycling boxes and educational labels at every workstation and printer station.
Ensure cleaning crews know how to properly recycle materials.
Shift to “Green Meetings” by sending electronic agendas and documents in advance. Use white boards and computers for note-taking.
Create an office supply reuse area for gently used items such as folders, binders, mailing envelopes, and one-sided used paper.
Train new employees on green IT and paperless practices.
Remove your name or company from junk mail lists. Visit www.stopjunkmail.org or www.catalogchoice.org for guidance. Subscribe to online publications whenever possible.
You need five points to achieve the greener level, and 10 points for the greenest level.
  Already implemented Planned to implement
Choose an outside printing vendor who recycles.
Use lowest paper weight suitable for print jobs.
Set smaller margins as the default on all computers.
Convert external marketing, reporting, and informational documents to electronic formats.
Design hard copy marketing documents for printing on-demand to reduce over-printing.
Use a central server to share, edit, and store documents internally.
Use a FTP site, or free file sharing programs such as SharePoint or Google Docs to share documents externally.
Update your own mailing lists to eliminate duplication.
Establish company policies to support green IT and paper-saving practices.
Shift to paperless employee documents (e.g., benefits, handbooks, training manuals, paychecks).
Use USB thumb drives, CDs, or other electronic storage devices to distribute and share information at conferences and meetings.
You need five points to achieve the greener level, and 10 points for the greenest level.
  Already implemented Plan to implement
Establish paperless billing for vendors, clients, and customers.
Make arrangements with vendors to minimize or eliminate packaging.
Institute electronic faxing or replace fax with email. Check with your printing vendor, or consider these e-faxing options: www.eFax.com, www.Fax.com, www.faxit.com, www.MyFax.com, www.Packetel.com, or www.j2.com.
Host a workshop for employees to learn and share green IT and paperless tips and tricks.
Obtain EPA Waste Wise certification. EPA Region 10 WasteWise contact: Domenic Calabro: (206) 553-6640, Calabro.Domenic@epamail.epa.gov.
Follow ABA Climate-Challenge "best practices" for paper management: http://www.abanet.org/environ/climatechallenge/wastewise.shtml.
Offer durable dish ware and where disposables are necessary, offer compostable or recyclable ware, and provide appropriate collection bins. Compostable product options here: www.cedar-grove.com/acceptable/Accepted%20List.asp.
Track your annual paper use and set a reduction target.
Step 3: Provide baseline paper use information for your business

Annual paper use data

Please estimate and input your annual paper usage, either in reams or sheets per year. 

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What is the real cost of paper?

Use our Excel based paper calculator to calculate the true cost of paper for your business.

Not sure if paper is ending up in your waste bin? 

Download our Do-It-Yourself Waste Audit Guide.

Step 4: Provide us with your contact information
Provide us with your contact information so we can recognize you on our website and provide you with support. We plan to follow up with you 3 months and 6 months after you submit your pledge to ensure you have the resources you need and advertise your successes!
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Please select the business sector that most closely describes your business.
Step 5: Utilize these free resources to get you started