Sustainability: How an eDMS can help

Many industries and sustainability are closely linked, as industrial activities can contribute to environmental degradation and climate change. However, some organizations are taking steps to become more sustainable in their operations and IT solutions. This includes measures such as:

• being more efficient
• reducing their environmental impact
• minimizing the adverse effects on communities

Despite these efforts, these organizations continue to provide essential products and services to society. However, to ensure that they are addressing global challenges and contributing to a more sustainable future, it’s important for them to align their sustainability policies and practices with the SDGs. The SDGs provide a comprehensive and holistic approach to sustainability and guide organizations to implement sustainable policies and practices. Additionally, it serves as a benchmark for organizations to measure their progress and evaluate the impact of their sustainability initiatives.

What are SDGs?

United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 goals as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These goals aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The SDGs cover various issues such as poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, clean water, energy, economic growth, and climate change. Organizations, including complex engineering organizations, can use the SDGs as a guide to attain sustainable development in the 21st century. (Source: Sustainable Development Goals)

How can an eDMS make an impact on your organization’s SDGs?  

(Read more: What is document management, and what is a DMS? )

In today’s business world, organizations of all types aim to reduce their environmental footprint and meet sustainability goals. This is particularly important for those organizations that are involved in complex projects which have a significant impact on the environment. To meet these sustainability goals, many organizations are turning to an electronic document management systems (eDMS) to help them streamline their processes, reduce their environmental impact, and increase efficiency.  

An eDMS can help organizations by digitizing all paper documents, which reduces the need for physical storage and minimizes paper use, a significant contributor to deforestation. Additionally, eDMS can automate workflows like reviews and approvals. It reduces the need for the physical movement of documents, reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption while improving collaboration.  

The system also provides secure access to documents, enhancing data security. Furthermore, many eDMS have analytics tools/integrations that can track document usage and identify areas for improvement. The tools help organizations tailor document management processes and reduce environmental impact.  

Let’s explore the SDGs that an eDMS relates to:

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth  

By automating document management processes, organizations can increase productivity and efficiency, supporting the goal of decent work and economic growth.  

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure  

By implementing digital storage and automated workflows, organizations can support the goal of Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure by increasing efficiency and reducing waste in their document management processes.  

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production  

An eDMS reduces the need for physical storage and minimizes paper use. Additionally, automating workflows such as approvals and routing can reduce the need for the physical movement of documents.

SDG 13: Climate Action  

Organizations can support the climate action goal by reducing the carbon emissions associated with document management processes, such as travel for document review and approval.  

SDG 16:  Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions   

By implementing secure access to documents, organizations can support the goal of peace, justice, and strong institutions by protecting sensitive information, ensuring data security, and complying with regulations related to data security.  

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals  

Collaborating on documents through a document management system can help organizations work more effectively with partners, suppliers, and other stakeholders to achieve the SDGs.  

Summarizing

Investing in an electronic document management system is crucial to achieving sustainability goals for organizations. While the benefits of eDMS in reducing paper usage, energy consumption, and carbon emissions have been highlighted, there are additional reasons why organizations should invest in eDMS for sustainability policies. Implementing an eDMS is a strategic move that can improve efficiency, compliance, and cost savings. This can help organizations manage their resources better, streamline their document management processes and achieve sustainability goals.

Assai’s document management system

At Assai, we take pride in offering the best document control and management system for complex projects and operations in the market. Assai’s cloud-based document management system stores all your items in a central repository equipped with easy and comprehensive search options on metadata and content for documents, drawings, correspondence, emails, and more. The system enables organizations to integrate with tools that fit their requirements, such as Power BI. Also, version control and redlining are a breeze with Assai.

We offer a system that meets different industries’ needs, including Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy, Construction & Engineering, Transportation, Mining, and Utilities. Our user-friendly, secure, and scalable solutions come with expert support and training. Check it out on our site, and feel free to book a demo!

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