Did you know, according to the Canadian Bar Association, the average lawyer uses 20,000 to 100,000 sheets of paper a year – that’s about half a ton! And on top of that, the average amount of water that is used in creating one sheet of A4 paper is around 10 liters. (paperontherocks.com)
When you do the math, that is a huge amount of water used in law firms (not to mention other resources such as wood, and land, as well as the carbon emissions during production.)
Here at WT, the Sustainability Committee wants to lessen the impact we as a firm have on the planet, and we want to start with paper! Here are some easy tips and tricks to help meet our goals of a paperless practice:
- Think before you print! Can this be reviewed digitally? Or just print off the page you need?
- Print double-sided when you can.
- Circulate one copy of a memo, article, or other paper document with a routing slip rather than making copies.
- Narrow the margins of documents to conserve paper (when possible)!
- Use your e-mail signature to ask recipients “please consider not printing this e-mail.” (We already have an automatically generated message, make sure it’s still working!)
- Exchange files with counsel and clients digitally, whenever possible.
Going completely paperless probably sounds like a massive undertaking. To be honest, it will not be easy and as creatures of habit change requires work! However, there are major upsides; less clutter in your offices and on your desks, efficient disaster recovery, and of course – a greener future to look forward to.
Thirsty for more knowledge? Here are some resources to get your started.
Canadian Bar Association – How to Make Your Office (Almost) Paperless (cba.org)
Looking to do more for sustainability and your community? Watch for the WT Sustainability email coming soon for an event on August 19, 2023!
