ADDED launches ‘Paperless Business Challenge’ as part of move to fully digitize internal and external transactions

The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) has launched the ‘Paperless Business Challenge’ aimed at helping preserve the environment by reducing wastage from excessive and poor usage of paper which negatively impact natural resources. Under the challenge, ADDED will implement several internal programs to increase its paperless transactions and boost its digital transformation journey.

H.E. Rashed Abdul Karim Al Balooshi, Undersecretary of ADDED, said that the newly launched initiative is in conjunction with the department’s efforts to build a sustainable business environment within its organization in response to the directive of the UAE Government to digitize the public sector’s daily transactions.

H.E. Al Balooshi expressed confidence that the challenge will lead to considerable achievements. As it is, ADDED already recorded a 38.75 per cent decrease in its paper use during the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Further, it has encouraged its employees to utilize digital tools and devices such as such as laptops and notepads during their meetings instead of consuming papers.  

H.E. Al Balooshi also pointed out that ADDED’s other paperless strategies implemented in cooperation with various government entities are seen to help preserve the environment and support the green economy. He emphasized that the Department targets to stop paper usage in all its internal and external communications by providing all technical requirements through paperless transactions and procedures. He also noted that ADDED’s economic licensing services are now 100 per cent digitized through the Abu Dhabi Government Service Centre ‘TAMM.’

“ADDED has directed all its divisions, centers and offices to implement the ‘Paperless Business Challenge’ by using the internal electronic portal to publish all decisions and providing all concerned personnel with access to this platform to encourage them to transition to electronic usage across all work requirements. This will be achieved through the archiving of correspondences, electronic signatures, preservation and exchange of files and the conversion of forms to electronic format. In addition, ADDED has activated the electronic signature of each employee to help the process., and all departments are urged as well to use the external portal or their emails to receive and save external correspondences,” he added.

H.E. further explained that the paper challenge also seeks to measure the monthly stationery and paper consumption across ADDED to assess the commitment of the sectors and departments. A unit or a division with the most and least paper consumption will be announced. Each division is urged to reduce its paper and stationery consumption by a minimum of 10 per cent.   

Ibrahim Al Mousa, Executive Director of ADDED’s Supporting Services Sector, said that the newly launched initiative will reduce ADDED’s paper use and boost its efforts to help preserve the environment and reduce its carbon footprint. He said that excessive and poor use of paper has a negative impact on the climate.

According to Al Mousa, since the beginning of June 2020, ADDED has succeeded in limiting the printing of email correspondences and attachments. It also suspended the printing of reports and documents exceeding 20 pages and reduced the number of printers programmed to perform duplex printing orders to prevent excessive usage of paper. 

Al Mousa explained that ADDED is currently working towards the automation of all internal communications--minutes of meetings, contracts and e-signatures on documents--and is expected to complete the project in the last quarter of the year. The aim of the initiative is to drive in a reduction in the use of paper and contribute in achieving the objective of being fully paperless.   Al Mousa stated that ADDED’s paper consumption was reduced by 38.75 per cent during the first half of 2020, when the number of paper orders decreased by 63.2 per cent, thereby bringing down the cost by 61.1 per cent during the same period. 

During the first half of 2020, the cost of paper purchases decreased by 54.3 per cent during the same period last year, he added. To achieve the initiative’s objectives, ADDED has installed digital screens on its walls and along its corridors and building entrances along with projectors and white boards, instead of paper panels, in all meeting rooms. 

Moreover, ADDED has completed the automation of economic licenses of the Abu Dhabi Business Center (ADCB) by granting the consumers the option of electronically issuing their licenses to reduce paper consumption; providing common printing machines and removing individual printers; and establishing an electronic system for the duplex printing feature. The department also instructed its employees to refrain from printing orders and utilize the knowledge portal to publish circulars, samples or work guides.  In addition, it launched initiatives urging employees to reuse paper in line with the objectives of the ‘Together Towards a Sustainable Environment’ campaign.