The environmental impact of Digital Transformation

Digital transformation has revolutionised the way businesses operate, enabling them to be more efficient, productive, and sustainable. With the recent marking of Earth Day (April 22nd) and the ‘global stocktake’ (to see where we’re collectively making progress toward meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement) in 2023, let PacSol highlight just some benefits of digital transformation and its positive contribution to the environment.

1. Reduced paper consumption (yes, it's still a thing in document management)

Digital transformation has led to the rise of paperless offices, reducing paper consumption significantly. The shift towards digital documents has led to significant cost savings and reduced the environmental impact of paper production, such as deforestation and water usage. By reducing paper consumption, businesses are conserving natural resources and promoting sustainable practices.

2. Energy efficiency

Digital transformation has led to energy-efficient technologies such as cloud computing, virtualization and vastly improved the environmental performance of data centres. These technologies have enabled businesses to reduce their energy consumption and, as a result, lower their carbon emissions. Cloud computing has made it possible for businesses to scale up or down their IT infrastructure based on their needs, reducing the need for expensive investments in hardware and software. By leveraging these technologies, businesses can reduce their energy costs, use only what is required and promote sustainability.

3. Remote work

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend towards remote work and digital transformation has made that success possible. Remote work has resulted in less commuting, reducing carbon emissions from transportation and a reduction in dedicated office space which results in lower energy consumption and waste generation. With remote working, there is a renewed focus on system security. A well configured content management platform not only ensures key documents can be shared easily, the platform also maintains strict access policies, prevents unauthorised duplication and promotes efficiencies through task automation to enable the right people to take action.

4. Sustainable supply chains

Digital transformation has enabled businesses to track and manage their supply chains more effectively, making them more sustainable primarily by ensuring only what is actually needed is used. With digital technologies, businesses can optimise transportation routes, reduce waste, and source materials from sustainable suppliers. This, in turn, promotes sustainable practices, conserves natural resources, and reduces the overall carbon footprint of businesses - strongly contributing towards a net-zero target in 2050. (It's not that long - think how much has changed in the last 26.5 years!)

5. Green products and services

Digital transformation has enabled businesses to create and offer more sustainable products and services. For instance, smart buildings that use energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy solutions can reduce energy consumption significantly. E-commerce platforms that promote sustainable consumption by providing eco-friendly products can help to reduce waste and promote sustainability.

Without exception, the products PacSol offer and support can either be installed to a fully virtualized environment or have a complete SaaS option (such as DocuWare) offering a fully hosted, web-accessed platform. By harnessing the very best in data capture, automated index, process management, secure storage and efficient record access management, businesses can not only improve their environmental impact but significantly reduce their financial costs. Investing in our planet to invest in your business - sounds like a win-win scenario.

To find out more on our products and services, take a look at our website, social media or simply contact PacSol directly for an informal chat about ‘what next’.

 Toby Gilbertson, Director of Operations. April 2023

 

 

 

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