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Save trees by reducing printing
Trust: Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Location: Across Sussex and Hampshire
What's the idea?
Sussex Partnership’s paper use averages around 70 trees per month. They set out to reduce paper use and increase digital paperwork.
Growing trees for paper reduces the natural biodiversity of woodlands, and impacts on the wider environment. Currently around 45% of trees grown around the world are planted to be used for paper.
In addition to costing the environment, it also costs money.
SPFT asked staff to #papercut and linked paper use to the number of trees to make it relatable.
How you could implement a similar idea
Check in with your digital team who will be able to give you current printing stats, so you can baseline your starting point.
Your digital team may also be able to support with ideas around printer set ups, or replacements to better manage printing across the organisation.
A poster by the printer to let people know how many trees each month go on paper might help people think about what they are printing more.
Use communications from in-office screens to news updates to help spread the word.
Resources
If you’re interested but would like a bit more understanding around the impact of paper production on our environment check out these links for more information and inspiration…
- The World Counts website has some great real time calculators for the impact of paper production on our environment
- NHS Digital have captured patient views on accessing digital records for their health
The Care Without Carbon difference
Using less paper helps to save water
Producing paper creates carbon emissions
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