Survey shows that paperless society still has a long way to go

By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia
06 June 2007

SINGAPORE : Despite widespread computerisation and growing environmental consciousness, the use of paper remains consistently high, according to a recent survey.

A check of 100 Singapore companies showed that far more companies are increasing their use of paper compared to those reducing usage - 43 percent against just 18 percent.

Although these are improved numbers from the last survey done in 2005, it looks like paper is still the way most people process information.

More than half of the companies surveyed also had no guidelines on the use of paper - employees could use as much as they wanted.

And when there are guidelines, it is usually motivated by ISO standards or multinational corporations implementing directions from their head offices.

However, the good news is that 75 percent of the companies now send paper for recycling, up from less than 20 percent in 2005.

The Asian paper market is estimated to account for approximately 32 percent of total global consumption. - CNA/ch