We Can Help You Keep Your Office Green & Secure

Posted on 10th January 2020 in Chaffinch News

Whether you call it paper shredding or document destruction, the shredding of paper documents can be an integral part of the data security system of any organisation, be it small or large. You can add your own home to that equation too.

However, the shredding of paper shouldn’t only be considered a security and data protection issue. In this day and age, being environmentally responsible is important for any organisation. And one shouldn’t get stuck in a 1990s time warp: paper shredding and sound document destruction should go beyond mere recycling considerations, although recycling remains highly important.

Environmentally Friendly Document Shredding

Chaffinch Shred is committed to both your data security and the environment, which is why we’re compiled this article to provide you with interesting info on what constitutes greener and more secure paper shredding.

The Environmental Benefits of Shredding

The UK consumes about 12.5 million tonnes of paper each year, according to the government-funded ’Recycle Now’ initiative, of which 67% is recycled. That still means over 4 million tonnes of paper goes to landfill in this country. That simply has to improve.

Here are some compelling reasons to save on paper in terms of recycling or usage:

Environmental Impact Of Paper Production Statistics

Having an appreciation of the statistics regarding the environmental impacts of paper production is one way of reminding us why paper shredding for recycling can be beneficial for the environment. Consider this:

• Paper mills and production facilities are the third-largest air and water polluters in the world.
• Annually, these mills consume more than 4 billion trees worldwide = more than 35% of the total global timber harvest.
• This destroys the potential of the planet’s vegetation to naturally sequester more than 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year = 20 billion tons each decade!
• Worse still, unused paper globally = one billion trees worth of paper = enough biomass and energy to heat 50 million homes for 20 years.

The flip-side are the positive statistics arising from paper recycling, which can include the following:

• A full 70% of the paper production process happens before timber is converted to pulp = recycled paper has only 30% of an environmental impact compared to paper from virgin wood.
• Every ton of recycled paper = savings of 7,000 gallons of water, 17 trees and 4,100 kW of electricity + 60 pounds less air pollutants.
• Every ton of recycled paper = 2.8 tons of dry timber saved from being cut down.
• Every ton of recycled paper = 17 trees saved from being cut down = 250 pounds (113 kilograms) more CO2 eliminated from the atmosphere each year + more than 3.3 cubic yards (9.9 cubic feet or 3m3) of landfill space saved.
• Every ton of recycled paper also = 167 showers of average duration + enough oxygen to support 34 people for a year!

Important Security Shredding Factors

We believe these are a few reminders that you should always bear in mind when considering your security-related document shredding options and obligations:

Paper alone is a significant data security hazard, with an estimated 1 in 5 data breaches in corporate America involving paper records, as per the 2015 BakerHostetler Incident Response Report. Research in 2016 by the Information Commissioner (ICO) revealed that 40% of UK data security incidents were paper-related. These included 19% of data posted or faxed to the wrong recipient and 14% due to loss or theft of paper work.

Shredding isn't just for paper. Other office tangibles that can also compromise security, such as file covers and boxes, can also be shredded. Even hard drives can be shredded if needed, although modern disc-wiping technology requires this far less than did older hard drives.

Obtain a certificate or notice of destruction from your shredding company, which is particularly beneficial for security factors. We at Chaffinch Shred promptly provide such proof of destruction for any client as part of our business shredding service.

Ensure that you partner with a professional paper shredding service provider that can provide a secure chain of custody for your shredded paper. This could include providing locked bins for documents and secure shredding, whether on-site or off-site.

Standard office shredders are not always sufficient to ensure that documents are destroyed completely, but a professional document destruction service can assist with other, more comprehensive shredding techniques, such as cross-cut shredding and auto-feed shredding. It has been estimated that employees could spend 98% less time using auto-feed shredders. This could equate to savings of thousands of pounds over the life span of a machine in terms of employee productivity.

It’s not often that a company can claim that what it does is both ecologically sustainable and ensures proactive, sustainable document and data security. Professional paper shredding can help you with both those commendable goals and Chaffinch Shred can be your partner to achieve just that. Give us a call on 01782 437131 or get in touch with us here to find out more.