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PAPER INDUSTRY TAKES A SHOT AT DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

After attempting to assert that document management software is expensive, the paper industry

told consumers that it could compromise document confidentiality. In response, a seemingly

endless collection of research studies disenfranchised these biased conclusions, but the outdated

market didn't end there. Apparently, executives representing logging companies, distributors and

manufacturers are grasping for a particularly hard straw to handle: that paperless solutions aren't

environmentally friendly.

Going through the motions

Yes, document management software does

require a little extra computing power to operate

effectively, but claiming that the tangible option

is just as ecologically cognizant as the former

seems like a desperate attempt to keep a dying

industry alive. According to The Guardian, Mark

Pitts, executive director of printing and writing at

the American Forest and Paper Association,

claimed that people are often misguided by

assumptions that paper is in fact detrimental to

ecosystems. AFANDPA stated that production of the material is actually sustainable, reporting

that over 65 percent of paper in the United States was recycled in 2012.

In contrast, organizations such as the World Wildlife Federation have claimed that although a

portion of the timber used to manufacture the product is grown in properly managed forests,

nearly 40 percent of the world's commercially cut hardwoods are processed for paper production.

"Too much of it is the result of illegal logging and the irresponsible destruction of old-growth and

high conservation value forests," the organization wrote on its website. The WWF stated that

deforestation around the world has overwhelmed existing plant life in its ability to adequately

convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.

Analyzing each factor

While it's true that paper companies are acknowledging that traditional paper production

methods have adverse effects on the world's ecosystem, those unwilling to accept that the

paper production industry is gradually withering away are aimlessly shooting at wild targets.

Though the hardware used to host paperless document management programs produce a

particular amount of waste, IT companies specializing in computer manufacturing are beginning

to recycle outdated machines. The Guardian noted that this process expends an incredible

amount of energy, but that the same environmental cost applies to the paper industry.

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"Until more research has been done on the life-cycle and environmental impact of electronics,

pitting paper and e-media against each other is somewhat futile," the news source stated.

At the end of the day, desktops have a longer shelf life than a ream of paper. Although the cost

for these machines is higher in a per-unit consideration, they don't need to be manufactured as

frequently as paper does. Though both products require manufacturing, paper processing occurs

much more frequently, prompting:

Consistent deforestation that vastly outpaces the growth rate of trees

Constant transportation to manufacturers, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions

Manufacturing, which releases chemicals into the air. If located on a lake such as

International Paper's mill in Ticonderoga, N.Y., water ecosystems can become polluted

Of course, PCs and other IT-supporting machines are not exempt from a production process.

However, because technology users continue to want smaller, more capable devices, IT developers

such as Dell and Lenovo are forced to discern how advancements can satisfy these demands. The

amount of plastic used to fabricate a laptop in 2014 is significantly less than the volume needed

to create a similar device produced in 1985. Not to mention, the battery life on computing

mechanisms is improving year-by-year, using less energy to operate complex programs.

Although the industry could certainly be more efficient, electronic device production is improving

at a rate far greater than paper manufacturing. Certain enhancements may appear here and there,

but a lack of urgency to improve the materials themselves has resulted in relatively flat-lined

fabrication methods.

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Tags: Industry News, document management software