Going Paperless: Finding a Balance

As much as I would love to be 100% paperless... it's incredibly hard to maintain. Reason being: As a business, there are always going to be documents that you need hard copies of.

So my solution was to find some eco-friendly options, such as with recycled paper products, eliminating my plastic use and reusing supplies as much as possible.

Of course, there are plenty of options out there. The major consumer office supply stores (Office Max, Office Depot, etc) all carry recycled products, including shipping supplies. And they're not that much more expensive than the regular products, making it convenient and affordable for small businesses as well.

Two points of improvement: the products they offer tend to only be made of a small percent of post-consumer recycled material and due to the mass-produced nature, the products are of a lower quality, which turned me off.

This led me to search for smaller online suppliers, like the Sustainable Group. They offer a ton of different office supplies, including great pieces for marketing materials. And it's all 100% recycled material! They go a step further by spicing things up with eco-friendly custom printing, which is great for adding your company logo to and producing eco-friendly marketing materials!

The kicker is that you have to order large quantities. So let's say that you want a notepad... well, you need to buy a case of notepads. This is fine if you have a whole office to "green" but not if you are a small business with 1 to 5 employees. On the flip side however, you would have enough supplies to last you a while, thereby avoiding random supply-runs (waste gas) and saving money by getting a better per-unit price than store-bought supplies.

However, you can buy their Sustainable Sample Pack, which includes one of each of their most popular products. I ordered one last week and got it in this morning - and may I say, I am impressed. The products are well constructed and the only "plastic" in the box is made of a plant by-product that you can put it in your compost once you get a few uses out of it!

The real test will be the durability. Everything is made of post-consumer recycled cardboard and chipboard. The chipboard binder looks like I could knock someone out with it - it's very sturdy. But with the way I handle my notebooks sometimes... I don't know. I am definitely questioning the lifespan of the cardboard binder (made with the same cardboard as the shipping box!). I could just see it now... if I drop it, it may bend or dent... or god-forbid that I get caught out in the rain with it, it'll be a mushy cardboard box binder!

I am very tempted to go ahead and test the limits, but at the same time I want to get good use out of my purchase and not waste it! And despite my foresight in destroying it, I think that it is still practical and trendy for a green business, but not for use outside the office!