09 Aug 2010 Green Electronic Invoicing
At a time when wise use of resources, both from a commercial point of view and an environmental point of view, is seen as a priority, Purchase to Pay stands proud having had an environmentally friendly heart even before the green band wagon rolled into town. And that’s why I discard my cynicism when I see OB10 launching its Green program.
According to Yahoo Finance, the initiative, titled the OB10 Green Program, is a continuation of OB10’s strong foundation of facilitating good environmental stewardship among its global customers and their suppliers. Paper-based invoicing is still a regular practice among many companies, claims Yahoo, whether they are sending and receiving invoices through the mail, implementing OCR or e-mailing an invoice that is printed at the recipient’s end. Yahoo goes on to explain that by transitioning to OB10’s electronic invoicing network, companies have saved over 60 millions of sheets of paper as well as additional resources that go into the manufacturing and distribution of paper such as trees, oil, electricity and water. OB10 is recognizing a select number of customers and suppliers that have demonstrated a commitment to sustainability and e-Invoicing by awarding them the OB10 Green Award.
Electronic Invoicing
OB10 isn’t unique in claiming green credit for e-invoicing. EIPP Platform recently reported Vodafone’s Plant-a-Tree initiative. They reported that Vodafone Czech Republic has joined forces with local NGO ‘Agency for nature conservation and landscape protection’ (Agentura ochrany prirody a krajiny CR, AOPK CR) to launch an environmental campaign throughout the country. As part of this campaign, a tree will be planted for every customer that activates Vodafone’s recently launched electronic billing service.
With this initiative, Vodafone claim, it is enabling AOPK CR to continue the latter’s efforts to increase the diversity of the country’s flora despite reductions in public funding.
Let’s not pretend that P2P is about saving the planet. It isn’t. But let’s also not be shy about declaring P2P’s green credentials and lets join OB10 and Vodafone in celebrating their green initiatives. P2P is about efficient use of resources. It’s about getting a job done as quickly and as economically as possible through an holistic approach. It’s about the elimination of waste. And it’s very, very green and always has been
