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  Straits Times Forum 26 Jun 07
Mindset change needed to reduce paper wastage
Letter from Tan Hau Teck

Straits Times Forum 24 Jun 07
Simple ways to use less paper
Letter from Murali Sharma

Today Online 22 Jun 07
Wasting paper is no laughing matter
Letter from Halcyon Chia

Today Online 20 Jun 07
Don't let green efforts go to waste
Liang Dingzi

A KEY awareness arising from all this passion to save the earth from global warming is the amount of wastage incurred — not only by the average person but also companies in the way they conduct their businesses.

A recent survey highlighted that Singapore companies are using more paper in spite of increasing computerisation and environmental consciousness.

While the growing effort to recycle paper is commendable, it is more compelling that we tackle the matter at source.

Much of this is rooted in wastage. Wastage could be caused by negligence or inefficiency, which points to the lack of management control.

Then, there is the problem of disloyalty ("It's not my money but the company's, so who cares?"), and companies are better off getting rid of uncommitted staff.

A more crippling problem is that of mistrust, often generated by the company itself. I used to know a colleague who would print out every single email message that he received. He reasoned that he did so just in case someone, especially his boss, went back on his word. And because of the chained nature of emails, this magnified the wastage evident in the boxes of paper he collected only to be discarded, not to mention the ink consumed and time spent in this unproductive chore.

Unfortunately, the cost of a company's inefficient use of its resources is ultimately borne by the consumer.

It is timely that while we argue about whether some companies should absorb the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike, businesses should pay due attention to the management of their resources — whether tangible such as various raw materials or intangible such as the time spent on a task, and reduce, if not eliminate, wastage.

They may well find no cause to pass on the tax.

Many companies engage auditors to check their books, usually pertaining to pecuniary matters and principally to ensure they do not run foul of the law. But few of them focus on the management of waste, whose cost may have been unjustifiably passed on to the consumer.

This has also been overlooked in many programmes of awards for corporate excellence.

The green movement has raised calls for the creation of environment portfolios within many companies. Waste management is the complementary arm.

Unless the wastage is so rampant that it threatens the continuing business of a company, most companies consider any savings to be derived from reducing waste a bonus to its profitability, a low priority in good times.

Few see it as a benefit to recompense its customers, and so long as it remains hidden in the cost of doing business, there is little urgency to don the cap of conscience.

It was reported recently that the Committee Against GST Profiteering (CAP) received 33 complaints of profiteering in the last six months. The Consumers Association of Singapore, which followed up on the complaints, found no evidence to support the grouses.

Said CAP chairman Lee Yi Shyan: "Big chain stores are generally more concerned with social standing. If they do something wrong, their reputation can go down fast and there can be a lot of harm to their interests."

It is not a question of doing something wrong, but rather that of not doing something right. It is the sin of omission.

This is a good time for companies to demonstrate that social responsibility to ensure that customers get a fair deal, not made to foot the bill or part of it for their inefficiencies and poor management of waste.

Today Online 22 Jun 07
Wasting paper is no laughing matter
Letter from Halcyon Chia

I REFER to Mr Liang Dingzi's I Say piece, "Don't let green efforts go to waste" (June 20).

Mr Liang summed up a key problem we have in sustaining environmental resources today, saying: "A recent survey highlighted that Singapore companies are using more paper in spite of computerisation and environmental consciousness ... much of this is rooted in wastage."

I want to share a story of my frustrations and failed efforts at encouraging my insurance company to minimise paper wastage.

For the past year, my husband and I have each been receiving a monthly reminder letter with an enclosed prepaid envelope. As the payment for our premiums is deducted through Giro, these envelopes are redundant.

I have called my insurance company many times to stop sending these envelopes. And our requests have fallen on deaf ears. Two envelopes, two reminder letters and two prepaid envelopes for 12 months means the insurance company wastes at least 72 pieces of paper every year.

Once, I phoned the call centre operator to ask the company to stop sending the letters and explained the substantial paper wastage. I also asked him to relay the message to his manager.

And the operator actually laughed.

With such couldn't-care-less attitudes, is it a wonder that the "green" mentality from the top is muddy brown by the time it reaches the other departments?

Companies should be concerned because wasting more paper means they have smaller profits.

However, it is not just the bottom line that is important. How would this wastage "profit" the world if our environment cannot be sustainable for future generations?

Straits Times 24 Jun 07
Simple ways to use less paper
Letter from Murali Sharma

MANY companies use more paper, few care about paper reduction, and many do not even have guidelines on reducing paper use.

One simple way for offices to reduce the use of paper is to place a tray next to the photocopying machine for used paper. Staff should be reminded to re-use such paper for printing, drafting and taking down minutes of meetings. Staff handling the mail should be advised not to tear open envelopes, but carefully slit them open at one end so they can be reused.

A few years ago, commuters were urged to leave free newspapers in designated places in the city for others to read. Unfortunately, the papers were found in litter bins instead. Such callousness shows many Singaporeans cannot be bothered about recycling.

What can members of the public do to promote re-use of paper? They can type or write letters on used paper. They can also replace tissue paper with a handkerchief.

As for schools, exam papers should be printed on both sides of the page.

If such habits are encouraged and formed at home and in school, they will stick, and permeate the market place. These are not earth-shaking ideas. They are simple and common sense. All they need is resolve to make them work.

Straits Times Forum 26 Jun 07
Mindset change needed to reduce paper wastage
Letter from Tan Hau Teck

IN VIEW of the recent articles and letters on paper wastage in corporate companies, I would like to share an experience I encountered recently.

I was helping a VWO with its annual mailrun to its sponsors to request donations. The letter to be sent out was several pages long, and printed on a single side. I asked whether the letters could be printed double-sided, as this could halve the amount of paper needed. The reply I was given was that the VWO has received feedback in the past that single-sided letters appeared more professional, and thus more appealing to the corporate sponsors.

The reply made me recall that in the past when I had to present proposals, I was also told that formal documents should be printed on a single side.

It seems that this opinion is fairly widespread, and if we are able to change this mindset, we would be able to save up to half the paper that we use. In addition, while commercial companies might not be very receptive to requests for a reduction in mailing pamphlets or letters, I am sure that VWOs will listen to their donors.

If all donors, whether corporate or individual, signalled their willingness to receive donation requests printed on both sides or even through e-mail, I am sure the VWOs will be able to have a lot of savings on paper and printing costs, as well as help conserve limited resources.
links

Local firms' paper usage up
Sheralyn Tay Today Online 7 Jun 07

Related articles in Singapore: reduce, reuse, recycle
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