It’s a bit ironic that with the ever-increasing improvements in modern technology enabling a paperless business office, even more paper documentation continues to date. Even as more demands for newer technology call for less paper, and pro-green elements in society add voice to the plea, paper consumption around the world has more than doubled in the last quarter century.

Part of the irony is that new digital technology actually makes it easier and more convenient to create paper documents. This leads to a simpler approach to the production of printed documents which, in fact, is evident as business offices in the UK account for the printing of over 100 billion documents a year.

Why is so much paper produced?

Believe it or not, government and industry-specific legislation and regulations have forced many businesses to maintain paper evidence of files that are directly related to maintaining information needs, such as medical records. Many industries require certified copies of records for a wide range of needs, including legal, government, and/or corporate requirements. In the UK, laws such as the Companies Act and the Limitation Act mandate the creation, and retention, of paper documents for corporate or statutory records. These mandatory requirements may cause not only logistical burdens on UK companies that have led corporate efforts to offer storage file facilities.

Laws requiring paper

This government legislation mandating the retention of paper records is not just limited to the UK. Countries around the world, including the United States, have certain types of legislation intended to force businesses and other organizations to comply. Unfortunately, this legislation is not always clear, allowing companies to fully understand the complexities involved in records management compliance. When companies seek to comply with the use of internal services, a greater logistical and economic burden is placed on the companies’ bottom line.

Public outcry over the past quarter century over immediate and complete access to records of all kinds has led to the enactment of enforcement laws around the world. Firms specializing in file storage services are fully trained professionals who are always up-to-date on what needs to be done to meet such compliance. Certain documents must meet specific compliance requirements that include everything from format to paper type.

Rules are enacted that include compliance requirements for the number of copies that must be kept, along with methods for certifying the copies and how these paper documents must be physically stored. The rules also dictate the nature and method for document access requests and delivery which can be quite physically and financially overwhelming for most businesses. The evidence shows that companies subject to non-compliance fines for whatever reason could have avoided the situation by employing an outsourced company, which is, in effect, a much less expensive proposition than facing non-compliance fines and penalties.

Auditing becomes a government industry

Whenever a government enacts legislation dealing with compliance rules and regulations, enforcement naturally follows the law. This has created a large sector of employment for examiners as compliance activity is monitored and audited. Failure to comply with the myriad and complex rules associated with record-keeping compliance can have serious consequences for any business, unless, of course, the prudent option of outsourcing documents for archival storage services is employed.