Businesses, Reducing Paper Does Have An Impact.

It’s sometimes difficult for businesses to use recycled paper or reduce the amount of paper used. Higher expense is the number one reason most businesses don't use recycled paper. It is not always convenient for a busy company and for others it is the belief that their contributions will have no real impact. Regardless of the reason, rethinking the way your company buys and uses paper helps your business as well as the environment. Using less paper helps trim your bottom line through cost-cutting and efficiency. A conservation, recycling and eco-friendly paper procurement program can generate positive publicity for your company, giving your customers and clients one more reason to spend their dollars with you.

Below you will find a list of companies that committed to reducing and recycling paper and how their commitment is making a difference.

1) Since 2003, the Philadelphia Eagles football team has saved nearly 90 tons of wood from virgin forests by recycling and buying recycled paper.

2) Omaha Steaks uses 10 percent post-consumer recycled paper in the body of its catalogs and 30 percent in the covers and order forms.

3) CitiGroup has reduced overall copy paper use and converted its offices to 30 percent post-consumer recycled copy paper, saving 2,800 tons of greenhouse gases every year.

4) Bank of America has reduced the basis weight of its ATM receipts from 20 pounds to 15 pounds, Bank of America saved more than just paper; this simple move also gained the bank additional savings in transportation, storage and handling costs, to the tune of $500,000 a year.

5) Norm Thompson Outfitters is a catalog retailer mailing out about 17 billion catalogs every year -- that's nearly 60 per person in the United States -- and almost none of them use post-consumer recycled content paper. That's why company’s cutting-edge, industry-leading commitment is so valuable. Norm Thompson prints its catalogs on 10 percent post-consumer recycled paper, and has set a company goal of increasing that figure to an average of 30 percent post-consumer recycled paper before 2008. The company estimates that it has saved:
• 4,400 tons of wood per year;
• 20 billion BTUs of energy;
• 11.7 million gallons of water;
• and 990 tons of solid waste.