Traditional paper business cards have long been a fundamental part of the business world. However, as the world becomes more sustainable, companies have been looking for ways to reduce their negative environmental impact.
One of the strategies used when adopting sustainability is reducing paper consumption. This material, used in business cards, is often discarded without further ado. This creates the need to innovate without losing this important marketing piece.
Read on to find out why paper business cards have become so harmful and what the better alternatives are .
The problems of paper
The paper industry is one of the most telegram database influential in the production of resources and goods on a global scale. This is because paper is an essential material. However, its production has some harmful consequences for environmental well-being.
The raw material for paper is cellulose, extracted from tree wood. The increase in paper consumption and production has intensified deforestation, compromising the preservation of forests. These areas are essential for the absorption of CO₂ and the production of oxygen, playing a crucial role in environmental balance.
Furthermore, around 40% of global deforestation is caused by demand for beef, soy, energy and other commodities, including paper.
Excessive deforestation brings problems such as poorer water quality, increased risk of flooding, increased CO₂ and damage to ecosystems and biodiversity.
Water pollution and consumption
Paper production also causes problems getting started as a new sales manager with soil, water and air pollution. Many chemicals are released during manufacturing, in addition to the large amount of carbon emitted.
There is also a high water consumption. A single A4 sheet can use 10 to 20 liters of water , considering the consumption at all stages of the manufacturing process.
Paper waste and cost
At the end of this costly production process, much of the paper is wasted. According to Gartner , companies worldwide spend 3% of their czechia businesses directory profits on paper, printing, storing, shipping, recycling and maintaining documents. In the end, 50% of companies’ waste is paper.
Reducing the consumption of this material not only preserves the environment, but also represents significant savings in financial resources for companies.
Use of chemical substances
Paper manufacturing uses substances such as chlorine, nitrogen, sodium sulfate, among many others. These substances are often improperly disposed of in rivers or the atmosphere.
This pollution will be harmful to aquatic life and ecosystems. In addition, many communities need clean water sources for drinking and farming, which puts these human lives at risk.
The Problems of Paper Business Cards
In addition to environmental impacts, traditional paper business cards hinder processes and organization within companies and bring other problems.
- Constant printings and reprints
Because they are limited and not very dynamic, paper business cards need to be updated whenever any business information changes. And when this happens, a mass of cards end up in the trash and new ones need to be produced.
To give you an idea, around 100 billion business cards are produced annually in the world . We have already talked about the environmental impact of this, but imagine the costs that your company could avoid by using other alternatives?
Limitation to update data
As mentioned in the last topic, paper cards are not dynamic at all. It is impossible to make updates without printing all the cards again, which is very limiting and not at all environmentally friendly.
- Paper waste
This has to be the biggest problem with paper business cards. They create a huge amount of waste because they are often thrown away quickly. Statistics say that 88% of business cards are thrown away within a week.
If you do a quick math, if 100 billion cards are produced each year globally, 88 billion are discarded. Hopefully, some will be recycled, but many will go straight to landfill.
Printing costs
The production of paper business cards involves significant costs for printing, design and materials. These costs can be reduced or eliminated with more modern and sustainable alternatives.