Ways E-signatures Help Businesses Contribute Towards a Healthier Environment

Our forests, rivers, oceans, and soils provide us with the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we irrigate our crops with. We also rely on them for numerous other goods and services imperative for our health, happiness, and prosperity. Nature sustains our economy, our society, and indeed our very existence. From medicines and mental health benefits to food and clothes, nature has everything a healthy and happy life needs. The natural world is an incredible wonder that inspires us all. These natural assets are often called the world’s ‘natural capital.’

However, with our fast-moving lives and ever-changing business scenarios, we have managed to cause immense damage to our environment. Day after day, we produce enormous amounts of waste through our routines or business processes, which finally find their way to landfills, rivers, and oceans. This waste not only causes harm to nature but also to human lives. A report by the State of Nature stated that over half of our wild species, including plants, birds, insects, and mammals, are in decline. Some are on the brink of extinction, whereas some have not been seen again.

Nature is crucial for the sustenance of livelihood, and it is the collective responsibility of every individual and every business to heal the damage inflicted by us and our past generations on Mother Nature. Moreover, human beings are moving at a superfast pace towards advancements and innovations, putting even more responsibility on our species to stop the constant destruction we mete out and start reversing the damage instead.

Although we hear a lot about the damage we cause to nature, many of us don’t exactly know how we are really affecting our environment. To answer that question, you must learn precisely how nature provides for us and all other beings. Here are a few facts that will leave you amazed:

● Nature is the only source of food for all the ecosystems on the earth.

● Marine plants contribute 50% of the oxygen we need to breathe.

● One tree can produce enough oxygen to help three people breathe.

Let us now glance at the unprecedented damage we have caused to the environment:

● 222,630,611 tonnes of paper have already been produced, which accounts for 22% of landfill waste and 33% of municipal waste.

● Paper production requires chlorine-based bleaches that emit toxic materials into the soil, water, and air.

● Paper decomposing emits methane gas, which is 25 times more toxic than CO2.

How does this damage to the environment affect our lives?

● Every year, around 7 million people lose their lives to diseases and infections associated with air pollution.

● People spending their childhood in the lowest level of green exposure possess a 55% higher risk of developing mental illness than those who spend their early life amidst abundant green space.

Experts say the world population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050, which means we need more food sources. Day by day and year after year, these disturbing facts affect real lives and push us to look for new ways of environmental conservation. Dive in to find out how businesses and organizations can contribute to preserving nature.

What do businesses have to do with environment fortification?

Every business directly or indirectly affects the environment. In fact, over 80% of ocean pollution is caused by land-based activities. Whether you are a Banking and Insurance Firm or a Fashion Store, a few unavoidable activities make you a contributor to the slow destruction of nature. Unfortunately, some ordinary, conventional methods, such as the use of pen, paper, ink, folders, plastic, etc., are so ingrained in the way we do business that most times, we are unaware of our impact. It also makes us question if global businesses do not care about the planet, or is it the profit and loss that causes the ignorance? And what if there were truly more affordable options that allowed businesses to be more eco-friendly?

Things are changing, however! Consumer behavior is changing rapidly, with the average consumer looking for sustainable goods. This has, naturally, forced corporations to respond, with them now looking to function in the greenest way possible. Not just in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, fashion, and food sectors but even banking, insurance, finance, and other essential industries. Today’s customer prefers to take their business to a company that is more attuned to the environment and is willing to make little tweaks to do their bit.

The Economist Intelligence Unit recently released a study showing that issues of nature loss and biodiversity are gaining more traction online than ever before — and that an eco-wakening is underway.

With the knowledge that the consumer prefers an environment-friendly business and the possibility of a higher profit if you go green, a business can make small changes to the way they work — changes that may seem insignificant but have a significant impact on business and the environment.

4 ways e-signatures can help businesses contribute to a better and healthier environment

● Go Paperless

The increasing range of global warming and the melting of the Poles are global problems. It is a challenging task to halt climate change completely, but not contributing to it is the least we can do. According to the environmental advocacy group The World Counts, the global production of paper and cardboard amounted to 420,000,000 tons of carbon in 2021. This year alone, 175,328,429 tons of paper have been produced globally. If every organization decided to go paperless and use digital documents, can you imagine the direct impact we could have on the environment?

It is estimated that e-signing documents can save 837 tons of paper annually!

● Skip single-use plastic

400 million tonnes of plastic waste gets produced every year.

While getting accustomed to the fast-moving life, we have become addicted to single-use plastic. With around 8 million tonnes of plastic emptied into the ocean each year, plastic waste has been acting as the new cancer of the ocean.

Today, 75 to 199 million tonnes of plastic are found in oceans.

Single-use plastic used in businesses, such as pens, refills, files, plastic bags, folders, and many more, can destroy ecosystems and jeopardize lives. Items like pens and refills contain toxic materials such as lead, which end up in landfills, waterways, rivers, and oceans, causing unprecedented damage to our nature, human lives, and aquatic life. Since single-use plastic is not biodegradable, decomposing takes more than 1,000 years! Almost every single day, it becomes clearer that plastic can never completely disappear. Instead, it breaks into smaller pieces called microplastics, which can enter the human body through absorption and inhalation and accumulate in organs. Recently, microplastics have been found in our lungs, kidneys, livers, and spleens.

Once again, using digital documents and e-signatures can help you drastically reduce the amount of single-use plastic used in daily workflows: no pens, no refills, no plastic folders, and no printing cartridges. You can create, sign, and manage electronic documents from anywhere, anytime, on any device, without the need for pen and paper.

● Reduce Fuel Consumption

How much fuel would you save if you just signed that company document online instead of driving down to your partner’s office? Food for thought, isn’t it?

According to a survey, the ocean has absorbed 90% of the excess heat created by burning fossil fuels. This not only led to the bleaching of coral reefs but also changed weather events, sped up sea-level rise, and changed the way marine species reproduce. Going digital would not only reduce the need to travel and transport, but it will also drastically reduce the need for storage space. For example, instead of printing an entire 13-page agreement or contract, you can easily send it via DrySign, an e-signature platform, and have it saved online for instant access.

● Get Involved

Your business can get involved in several ways to promote strategies that can prove beneficial in the fight to restore our environment. Contact your local authorities and educate yourself and your teams to be more environmentally responsible. You can also request your partners, co-workers, and clients to choose eco-friendly ways of doing business by choosing e-signatures, digital documents, energy efficiency, etc.

Small, effective changes in your business can help you establish your company’s pledge to sustainability without sacrificing your profits. In fact, going digital can help you save more!

Read our blog to know how digitization and e-signatures can drive the ROI of your business: https://drysign.exelatech.com/blog/ways-electronic-signatures-are-driving-roi

Start DrySigning!

If every business starts supporting and contributing to environmental health, we can collectively move towards building a sustainable future. Working towards a healthier environment is good for flora and fauna beneath the water and also for the rest of us living on the planet. Going paperless is challenging but not impossible! Many organizations have already incorporated e-signatures and have begun seeing results! If you still have questions about e-signatures, feel free to connect with us. Go digital and do your part. Start DrySigning today!

Source: eiuperspectives.economist.com | forbes.com |unep.org

DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is for general information purposes only and is not intended to serve as legal advice. Laws governing the subject matter may change quickly, and Exela cannot guarantee that all the information on this site is current or correct. Should you have specific legal questions about any of the information on this site, you should consult with a licensed attorney in your area.