The Paradox Between Manual and Digital Processes - A Life Cycle Analysis of Offset Paper at a Brazilian University

Abstract

Digitization, transforming manual processes into digital ones, is a current trend and there are indications that it is an option to help achieve environmental goals, especially at Universities; replacing manual processes with the use of offset paper by digital processes. In view of this, this research analyzed the environmental impact of the consumption of A4 offset paper at the Faculty of Engineering of Unesp in Bauru (FEB), through the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), after the implementation of the digitization of processes, in the period of COVID-19 pandemic. The main results indicate that the reduction in offset paper consumption contributed to a 74% decrease in impacts on climate change, freshwater ecotoxicity and energy consumption in the analyzed Faculty.