DRIVING THOUGHTS

Used to be, a piece of paper that fell out of a pile and flew off with the wind is dismissed as “let it go, it’s only paper.” Used to be too, all documents required for any transaction needed a printed copy; and that did not even get a comment.

Today, those instances dismissing paper as “insignificant loss” is viewed as anti-environment. Those are now opportunities to save paper because so much paper used unnecessarily becomes part of the mountains of garbage. And also, too many trees were cut to make paper.

I am writing about this because I’ve noticed that printed documents are still required for many transactions. Think about the many times you had to photocopy a document to fulfill a requirement for a loan, travel papers, school registration, job application, etc.

When you are in a room applying for any of the various reasons that need printed documents, observe how many pages of paper are carried by each applicant – even one going to a job interview or to apply for a scholarship program. Note that each person has to submit many pages that even require a brown envelope to hold them together. That’s another piece of paper that will join the garbage pile.

Meanwhile, especially after the pandemic, the world has gone digital. Government agencies and most private companies are by now deep into digital transformation. Even delivery riders now transact food delivery payments online. Retail outlets and restaurants accept GCash or online bank transfers.
Months ago, I applied for a visa to visit New Zealand. All required documents were submitted online, including copies of each page of my old passports. The reply came soon after, and my visa was sent through email. No papers were exchanged. While in New Zealand, I observed that the locals avoided the use of paper. When you make a purchase, the cashier or seller, after putting your credit card into a gadget, asks: Do you need a paper receipt or can I email it?

Companies who entertain transactions that need documents should evaluate their need for printed documents, especially those that are redundant and unnecessary. If one has a driver’s license or a passport, for example, does it not confirm that one has a legitimate birth certificate as that is required for those documents to be issued. And yet, many transactions still require a birth certificate.

I recently sat in a room with people applying for a travel document. Each person was carrying a brown envelope holding a thick pile of printed documents which included xerox copies of each page of one’s passports- the current one, plus two expired passports. I was No. 71 in the group and I was in the 10 a.m. group. So, you can just imagine how many people were there that morning just to file an application with as many hard copies of documents. All that paper will end up in a garbage pile, or burned.

How about our driver’s license? That’s made from paper and laminated with plastic. There are millions of driver’s licenses issued every year, and as many expiring, which will need another set of paper and plastic laminate to create the needed document for those people to drive.

If we are still required to produce hard copies of our birth certificates for an application for a loan, education scholarship, travel document, job interview, etc. – we are still a long way from the online world now happening in many countries.

Meanwhile, we will continue to waste paper, because many still think – it’s only paper.