Paper

Using less paper and switching to recycled or FSC paper result in many environmental benefits, such as using fewer resources, producing less pollution and encouraging sustainable forestry practices.

Case studies

2007 – UBS's annual reports printed on FSC-Paper
In 2007 we decided to print our 2006 annual reports (Annual Review, Financial Report, Handbook) on Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) paper. In total 200 tons of paper were used to print these reports. The FSC label allows consumers to recognize products that support the growth of responsible forest management worldwide.

2006 – Recycled paper, Europe
A joint sourcing initiative by the Investment Bank and Global Wealth Management & Business Banking was launched in 2006. The objectives of the project were to provide a 100% post-consumer recycled paper for the 500 million sheets required across Europe annually. In addition to providing a competitively priced, consistent quality product across all our European markets, this new paper has the added benefit of ‘closing the recycling loop’. This is because much of the paper material that we collect for recycling in our London offices is sent to the mill that produces this paper.

2006 – Multi function devices in Asia-Pacific
In 2006, our Hong Kong and Sydney locations deployed Multi-Function Device (MFDs) technology which had already been successfully implemented in London, New York/Stamford & Tokyo. Replacing stand alone faxes, printers and scanners, the Energy Star rated devices possess paper saving features, use re-manufactured components, have a low use of toner and possess energy saving measures. Wherever possible the devices are set to double-sided and multiple- page default settings reducing paper usage. For example, a 17.5% paper reduction was observed from pre-contract to post-contract in Sydney Offices. Regular training sessions regarding double sided printing to both new joiners and existing staff is provided in many offices.

2005 – Technical improvements lead to huge paper reduction and cost savings
UBS implemented technical improvements in its output management in Switzerland. A large number of internal lists previously available only in printed form were replaced by electronic versions. As a result, the number of pages printed decreased from 21 million in 2002, to 5 million in 2005. As for external client output, new packaging machines have increased the maximum amount of sheets per envelope from ten to sixteen.