Saving trees
A battle over the standard for electronic paper has just begun
BORN in the late 1960s, the concept of the paperless office seized the imagination, but never actually arrived. Instead, world consumption of office paper has more than doubled since the early 1980s—mainly because digital technology not only failed to replace paper, but, ironically, made printing easier. Now, two new pieces of technology, to be released by Microsoft and Adobe, two software firms, promise once again to reduce this huge pile of paper. They will make it possible to digitise two things for which paper is indispensable today: taking notes and filling out forms.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Saving trees”
From the November 9th 2002 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Could seaweed replace plastic packaging?
Companies are experimenting with new ways to reduce plastic waste
Has Sequoia Capital outgrown its business model?
Venture capital’s hardiest perennial gets back to its roots
On stupid rules and quick wins
Why every boss can benefit from asking employees what most infuriates them
TikTok wants Western consumers to shop like the Chinese
It still has some convincing to do
Will the trouble ever end for Volkswagen and its rivals?
From strikes to Trump tariffs, calamities abound
After Northvolt’s failure, who will make Europe’s EV batteries?
The continent looks ever more reliant on Asian producers