Ofuoma Odje on electronic paper

If we were to quantify the costs of producing paper, printing information on it, mailing it around and destroying it, we would find a stunning amount of money being wasted. This is especially true for those instances where the paper adds no value to the intended target of the information, or was simply unsolicited.

Therefore as the focus shifts to a green revolution with cleaner energy, lower emissions standards and renewable energy sources, we must not forget that recyclable electrons in the form of electronic data/paper paper is key to huge cost savings and increased efficiencies.

Electronic data/paper can be delivered in seconds or minutes bypassing physical delivery processes. Digitized data can theoretically last for ever while paper in a file cabinet will eventually wither away.

There is the potential for new opportunities in this area :- primarily in innovative solutions to replace today's paper based systems; AND in educating the workforce to utilize these solutions to achieve cost savings and increased efficiencies thereby realizing the true value of this strategy.

At a time of budget crisis in both public and private sectors, paper seems to be one of the most overlooked avenues through which a lot of money is being wasted.

We all have received mailings and notices after telephone or email correspondences with businesses or government/other authorities. A lot of these correspondences contain things we already know and don't need to be reminded of in paper.

Further, this creates a liability for us as we have to destroy a lot of these paper correspondences as a result of privacy a ndidentity theft concerns.

When we shred these papers for example, we use energy in addition to the energy used in generating and distributing the paper to us. We also create trash that has to be disposed of.

Getting rid of paper as much as we can may seem at first to only save a little bit of expense. But if we really follow the trail; from production, distribution, printing, mailing, to destruction of paper and recycling---there is quite an impact.

There are however, bigger issues to overcome before electronic paper can be a mainstream solution to paper based data/information today.

For example, when we go to Bestbuy or a similar store to buy a product, it comforts us to hang on to our receipts just in case. We like to look and the terms and conditions at the back of the receipts that tell us when and how we can return and/or exchange the product. This is sort of a mini-consumer's bill of rights.

Moving to electronic data in this above instance will have to result in the establishment of some kind of a contract representing the terms and conditions at the back of the paper based receipts. That may create another level of bureaucracy of unintended consequences.

This surely is a topic for debate as there will be people on both sides of the isles arguing for and against.

Regardless, we do have to start this debate somewhere.

Perhaps this may lead to another interesting topic for a good discourse:- Are there unecessary costs to the Fed for printing money? What are the chances of electronic money(credit/debit cards etc) fully replace our paper currency in this generation?

Pretty interesting to think about...

- Ofuoma Odje