The construction sector is still one of the most reliant on paper documents, new research has found.

A survey of 1,000 workers, conducted by WorkMobile, found that a third of businesses (33%) classified in the construction and utilities sector have taken no steps to reduce their usage of paper. Only the education sector and finance sector performed worse when it came to reliance on paper.


The research was carried out as part of WorkMobile’s Death of the Paper Trail report, which investigates the sectors that are still reliant on paper-based processes, and the pitfalls that businesses often encounter by working in this way.


Colin Yates, chief support officer at WorkMobile, said: “With so much technology at our fingertips, it’s surprising and disappointing to see that companies are still relying so heavily on paper-based processes like printing documents and posting mail, and are not introducing the most basic of steps to reduce the use of paper.


“Over recent years, there has been a lot of focus on becoming more environmentally friendly as a society and reducing wastage to protect the planet. But despite attempts by government organisations and campaigners to raise awareness around the implications of using paper and cutting down trees, it’s clear that a large number of businesses are still not taking note.


“Technology has advanced way beyond clunky fax machines and printing out hundreds of documents on a daily basis. And with more and more employees now working remotely  using mobile devices, we shouldn’t be using so much paper. Companies must look to introduce paper-less policies to improve internal processes and make for greater efficiencies and accuracies. The future of their businesses could well depend on it.”