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1874  W  15th  Ave    Vancouver,  BC,  V6J  2L1  November  21,  2014    Dan  Normandin,  Marny  Felder,  Todd  Wong  Hotel  Managers  Vancouver  Four  Seasons  Hotel  BC,  V2K  9S1    Dear  managers,      Here  is  my  report,  Feasibility  Analysis  of  Reducing  Paper  Waste  at  The  Vancouver  Four  Seasons  Hotel.  Throughout  the  preparation  I  have  learned  a  lot  about  the  benefits  of  companies  going  “green”  by  reducing  paper  waste  and  hope  these  suggestions  help  guide  your  hotel  business  in  a  positive  direction.  Thank  you  for  taking  the  time  to  read  and  reflect  on  this  report.    Companies’  going  “green”  is  a  growing  trend  that  is  not  only  environmentally  friendly,  but  has  financial  and  efficiency  advantages  as  well.  This  paper  outlines  the  first  step  towards  becoming  a  “green”  hotel,  reducing  the  use  of  paper.  Finding  paperless  solutions  to  problem  areas  and  implementing  policies  to  enforce  new  practices  is  discussed.  I  hope  you  are  excited  to  explore  the  option  of  becoming  a  “green”  hotel  and  wish  you  the  best  of  luck!    I  have  enjoyed  working  on  this  project  and  would  be  happy  to  answer  any  questions.  Please  do  not  hesitate  to  contact  me  at  casragan@gmail.com.    Sincerely,        

Cassie Ragan  Cassie  Ragan        

               

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Feasibility  Analysis  of  Reducing  Paper  Waste  At  Vancouver  Four  Seasons  Hotel  

                             for  

Dan  Normandin,  Marny  Felder,  Todd  Wong  Management  of  Vancouver  Four  Seasons  Hotel    

Vancouver,  British  Columbia        by  

Cassie  Ragan  UBC  English  301  Student  

October  31,  2014                      

 

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Table  of  Contents    

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………………  4  

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….………  4  

Methods…………………………………………………………………………………………..…….  5  

Collected  Data……………………………………………………………………………………….  6  

  Literature  on  Subject………………………………………….………………………  6  

  Paystub  Issue………………………………………………………………………………  7  

    Findings………………………………………………………….….………………  8  

    Interpretation  of  Findings……………………………………………..……  8  

  BEO  Issue…………………………………………………………………..………….….…  8  

    Findings………………………………………………………………….…………  9  

    Interpretation  of  Findings………………………………………..…………  10  

  Employee  Manual  Issue………………………………………………………………  10  

    Findings………………………………………………………………….…………  10  

    Interpretation  of  Findings,,,,,…………………………………………….…  11  

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….…….……  11  

  Summary  and  Interpretations………………………………………………………..  11  

  Recommendations…………………………………………………………..……..…….  ..12  

References……………………………………………………………………………………………..    13  

 

Figures  

Figure  1……………………………………………………………………………………………..…….  5  

Figure  2………………………………………………………………………………………………..…..6  

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ABSTRACT      

Production  of  paper  is  labor,  resource  and  capital  intensive.  This  formal  report  

examines  the  over  use  of  paper  in  a  hotel  settings,  specifically  The  Vancouver  Four  

Seasons  Hotel.    Common  paper  intensive  practices  like,  paystubs,  banquet  event  

orders  and  employee  manuals  are  analyzed  and  environmentally  friendly  

alternatives  are  suggested.  Interviews  and  surveys  of  hotel  employees  from  multiple  

departments  demonstrate  an  overall  willingness  and  positive  response  to  applying  

the  environmentally  friendly  practices  suggested.  Further  recommendations  on  

what  management  can  do  to  enforce  the  success  of  new  practices  and  educate  the  

employees  are  outlined.    

   

INTRODUCTION      

Paper  is  a  highly  consumed  commodity  in  today’s  world,  used  for  everything  from  

homework  to  official  documents.    The  downside  to  high  levels  of  paper  consumption  

is  the  energy  intensive  paper  production  processes  that  have  detrimental  effects  on  

the  environment.    

 

 This  report  describes  the  feasibility  of  reducing  paper  usage  in  a  hotel  environment,  

specifically  The  Vancouver  Four  Seasons  Hotel.    The  source  of  the  problem  is  

identified  as  specific  paper  products  that  have  environmentally  friendly  

alternatives.  Potential  “green”  solutions  to  each  problem  are  outlined  and  analyzed,  

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considering  the  benefits  and  disadvantages  of  each.  Employee  opinions  and  

willingness  to  adopt  new  methods  is  also  investigated  via  interviews  and  surveys.    

 

Solutions  suggested  include  completely  eliminating  paper  sources  by  installing  

digital  software  systems  and  accessing  information  online  instead  of  via  paper  copy.  

Other  paper  sources  cannot  be  completely  eliminated,  but  can  be  greatly  reduced  by  

strategic  teamwork  and  sharing  of  fewer  paper  copies.  Once  specific  paper  

alternatives  have  been  identified,  further  action  by  management  is  suggested  to  

make  such  practices  official  by  implementing  policies  and  regulations.  Lastly,  

employees  need  to  be  educated  on  the  issue  and  the  reasoning  behind  it.    

 

 

 

 

 

METHODS  

In  order  to  reduce  paper  usage  in  a  business  environment,  specific  practices  have  to  

be  targeted  for  improvement.  At  the  Vancouver  Four  Seasons  the  following  practices  

will  be  assessed  for  potential  improvement.  

1. Bi-­‐monthly  Paystubs  Including  Envelope  

Pay  cheques  are  composed  of  two  pieces  of  paper  in  an  envelope.  

2. BEO  (banquet  event  orders)  

Figure  1  This  American  Newsweek  article  demonstrates  how  "green"  companies  are  gaining  popularity  and  media  attention.  

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BEO’s  describing  all  the  details  and  requirements  of  each  daily  event  are  

printed  and  distributed  to  each  banquet  employee  each  shift.  Each  consists  of  

1-­‐10  pieces  of  paper.  

3. Four  Seasons  Standards  Manual  

Each  new  employee  is  provided  with  a  57  page  manual  on  The  Four  Seasons  

procedures  and  standards.  

 

Figure  2  Process  of  the  energy,  resource  and  labor  intensive  production  of  paper.  Describes  the  processes  of  logging,  chemical  pulping,  mechanical  pulping,  pressing,  drying  and  finishing.  All  of  these  resources  can  be  conserved  with  paper  reduction  practices.  

 COLLECTED  DATA  

Literature  on  Subject    

In  addition  to  environmental  benefits,  paper  reduction  improves  business,  “green”  

status,  efficiency  and  finance.  The  marketing  value  of  “green”  companies  in  today’s  

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world  where  global  warming  and  environmental  consciousness  is  a  prominent  

issue,  is  substantial.  “Green”  companies  are  trendy  and  attract  like-­‐minded  

costumers.  Sustainable  business  practices  have  been  proven  to  enhance  brand  

reputation  (Earth  Share,  2012).  

Documenting  data,  filling  orders,  managing  business,  corresponding  via  letters,  and  

editing  documents  are  vital  operations  of  a  business  but  labor  intensive.  A  Lawrence  

Berkeley  Lab  study  estimated  that  the  cost  per  ton  of  handling  paper  is  20x  the  cost  

of  purchasing.  Digital  technology  can  increase  productivity  by  50  percent  (Sarantis,  

Heather,  2002).  

The  financial  benefit  extends  beyond  paper  itself  to,  storage  units,  printers,  reprints,  

disposal  and  labor  inefficiency.    For  example  the  storage  of  2  million  documents  can  

cost  between  40  and  60  thousand  dollars  in  just  filing  cabinets  (Ecopreneurist,  

2014)  and  these  filing  cabinets  also  require  expensive  floor  space.  The  

supplementary  expenses  associated  with  paper  use  can  add  up.    

 Paystubs      The  Four  Seasons  Hotel  distributes  bi-­‐monthly  pay  stubs  in  paper  copy.  This  

generally  includes  two  pieces  of  paper  and  an  envelope.  Throughout  Canada  the  

Four  Seasons  employs  approximately  2000  people  and  distributes  96000  pieces  of  

paper  and  48000  envelopes  annually.  

One  potential  solution  to  this  waste  is  to  convert  to  a  paperless  payroll  software  

whereby  employees  can  access  their  paystub  information  online.  There  are  several  

programs  available  such  as  EasyPay,  Quickbooks  and  Capterra.    

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Findings  

Questionnaires  and  interviews  of  banquet,  housekeeping,  kitchen  and  accounting  

employees  yielded  these  results.    

• All  12  employees  interviewed  have  access  to  the  internet  on  a  daily  basis  and  

feel  proficient  using  and  navigating  online  services.    

• 11  out  of  12  expressed  willingness  to  convert  to  an  online  payroll  system.    

• All  4  accounting  employees  were  agreeable  to  an  online  payroll  conversion.    

Adequacy  of  program  training  and  the  existence  of  a  helpline  for  the  system  

in  case  technical  problems  are  encountered,  were  the  only  concerns  

expressed.    

Interpretation  of  Findings  

Based  on  employee  surveys  and  questionnaires  there  is  a  definitive  preference  to  

convert  to  an  online  payroll  system.  The  only  concerns  expressed  were  those  by  the  

accounting  department  and  are  easy  to  resolve.  EasyPay,  Quickbooks  and  Capterra  

(brands  of  payroll  software)  each  offer  in  person  training  and  a  help  line  to  assist  

with  troubleshooting  during  regular  business  hours.  The  three  programs  mentioned  

range  in  price  from  $32-­‐$90  /month  which  is  more  economic  than  the  price  of  paper  

and  envelopes.    

BEO  (Banquet  Event  Orders)  

BEO’s  are  composed  of  1-­‐10  pieces  of  paper  that  describe  the  details  and  

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requirements  of  every  banquet  event  scheduled  that  day.  They  are  distributed  to  

each  banquet  employee  at  the  beginning  of  their  shift  so  they  are  aware  and  can  

plan  accordingly.  While  they  are  very  informative  and  useful  to  the  employees,  they  

consume  approximately  80  pounds  of  paper  per  month,  which  inadvertently  

requires  40  kWh  electricity,  27  gallons  of  oil  and  1000L  of  water  to  produce.    

An  alternative  to  printing  BEO’s  for  each  employee  would  be  to  print  just  one  copy  

and  display  it  on  a  wall  accessible  to  all.  The  banquet  office  would  be  an  ideal  

location  to  portray  it.  This  way  all  employees  can  have  access  to  the  BEO  and  be  

informed  at  a  lesser  cost  to  the  environment.    

Findings  

Questionnaires  and  interviews  of  banquet  employees  yielded  these  results.    

• After  discussing  environmental  consequences  of  BEO’s,  7  out  of  12  

employees  expressed  a  preference  to  having  one  master  copy  of  the  BEO  

posted  somewhere  accessible.  The  remaining  5  expressed  the  inconvenience  

of  having  to  walk  to  the  other  side  of  the  (very  large)  hotel  to  check  the  BEO.  

“The  BEO  is  referenced  constantly  throughout  our  shifts  and  it  would  be  a  

pain,  not  to  mention  inefficient,  to  have  to  run  back  and  forth  across  the  hotel  

to  read  it.”  

• 3  out  of  3  banquet  supervisors  preferred  the  master  copy  method  of  BEO’s.  

There  reasoning  was  based  on  environmental  concern  and  the  relief  of  not  

having  to  print  them  each  day.    

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Interpretation  of  Findings  

Unlike  the  paystub  issue,  there  was  some  resistance  to  eliminating  personal  BEO’s.  

BEO’s  play  a  vital  role  in  the  day  to  day  operations  and  having  quick  access  to  them  

at  all  times  is  essential  to  event  success.  A  compromise  that  would  be  more  

environmentally  friendly  and  still  ensure  efficient  operations  would  be  to  post  

BEO’s  in  a  few  key  locations.  This  way,  employees  might  have  to  walk  a  short  

distance  to  view  the  BEO,  but  would  never  have  to  walk  across  the  entire  hotel.    

Four  Seasons  Standards  Manual  

The  57  page  manual  outlines  the  company’s  standards  and  expectations  regarding  

everything  from  setups  to  grooming  policies.  It  is  given  to  each  new  employee  on  

their  first  day  of  work,  which  means  in  Canada  the  current  workforce  consumed  

4560  pounds  of  paper  to  create  manuals.    In  today’s  technologically  advanced  

society,  this  manual  could  easily  be  a  digital  copy  accessed  by  employees  on  a  

website  or  via  email.  Not  only  would  this  save  the  company  printing  and  paper  

costs,  it  would  be  less  labor  intensive.      

Findings  

• 12  out  of  12  employees  said  they  never  referenced  the  manual  again  after  

their  first  day.  

• 12  out  of  12  employees  preferred  a  digital  copy  to  paper  copy.  

• 3  out  of  3  banquet  supervisors  preferred  a  digital  copy  to  paper  copy.  “The  

manual  is  very  important  to  reference  if  employees  have  a  question  about  

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any  Four  Seasons  standards.  It  is  full  of  useful  information,  but  doesn’t  have  

to  be  accessed  daily  so  a  digital  copy  would  suffice.”    

Interpretation  of  Findings  

There  was  a  clear  consensus  that  paper  manuals  should  be  eliminated.  While  

employees  expressed  little  interest  in  the  existence  of  manuals  at  all,  supervisors  

insisted  on  the  manuals  importance.  There  was  100%  agreement  that  the  manuals  

would  be  just  as  beneficial  as  a  digital  copy.    This  conversion  to  digital  copy  had  the  

most  uniform  response  of  all  three  issues  investigated,  and  would  also  have  the  

most  significant  environmental  impact  because  it  consumes  the  most  paper  of  the  

three.  

CONCLUSION  

Summary  and  Interpretation  

Converting  paystubs  and  the  Four  Seasons  Standards  Manual  to  digital  copy  had  an  

almost  exclusively  supportive  response  by  employees.  Motivated  by  a  combination  

of  going  “green”  and  efficiency,  employees  welcomed  the  potential  change  

unanimously.  The  only  concerns  expressed  were  by  the  accounting  department  

regarding  the  software  operations,  training  and  troubleshooting.  These  concerns  

were  resolved  by  selecting  payroll  software  systems  that  offer  in  person  training  

and  an  online  help  guide.    

Unlike  paystubs  and  manuals,  the  topic  of  reducing  paper  waste  via  printing  only  

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one  master  BEO  had  some  resistance  from  employees.  Concerns  about  having  to  

walk  long  distances  to  access  BEO’s  and  the  resulting  inefficiency  were  the  

prominent  concerns.  A  compromised  solution  was  suggested;  printing  3  BEO’s  and  

posting  them  in  key  locations  so  employees  could  access  them  easily  and  efficiently.      

Recommendations  

This  report  has  proven  the  employees  of  the  Vancouver  Four  Seasons  hotel  are  open  

to  and  willing  to  convert  to  environmentally  friendly  options.      Specific  paper  

alternative  solutions  have  been  identified,  which  is  the  first  step  in  the  right  

direction.  Two  further  actions  have  to  be  addressed.    Management  needs  to  

implement  official  policies  and  regulations  regarding  the  new  paper  reduction  

practices.  This  will  enforce  the  practices  as  a  necessary  priority,  rather  than  being  

shrugged  off  as  a  suggestion.  Secondly,  employees  needs  to  be  educated  on  the  new  

practices  and  why  they  are  being  implemented.  This  could  be  achieved  by  holding  a  

meeting  to  discuss  the  new  policies.  Paying  employees  for  their  time  in  the  meeting  

would  be  an  incentive  for  high  attendance  to  the  meeting.    

The  Four  Seasons  is  an  international  chain  and  in  order  to  maintain  consistency  

between  locations  there  may  be  limitations  to  what  changes  the  Vancouver  Manager  

can  make.    

Digital  paystubs,  digital  employee  manuals  and  fewer  BEO’s  printed  are  three  

adjustments  employees  approved  to  improve  the  “green”  status  of  the  hotel.  This  

gets  the  “green”  ball  rolling  to  start  thinking  of  other  areas  of  the  hotel  that  could  

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start  reducing  their  paper  waste.    

 

REFERENCES  

“Greening  Business.”  Earth  Share.    2012.  Web.    24  October  2014.  <http://www.earthshare.org/greening-­‐business.html>  

“Green  Tips  for  Creating  a  Healthy  Planet.”  Global  Stewards.  n.p.,  October  2014.  Web.  28  October  2014.                                                                  <http://www.globalstewards.org/paperless-­‐office.htm>  

“10  Business  Practices  that  Reduce  Your  Footprint.”  Ecopreneurist.  Sustainable  Enterprises  Media,  Inc.,  2014.  Web.  28  October  2014                  <http://ecopreneurist.com>  

Sarantis,  Heather.  “Business  Guide  to  Paper  Reduction,  A  Step-­‐by-­‐Step  Plan  to  Save  Money  by  Saving  Paper.”    Forest  Etthics.  September  2002:  1-­‐67.  sustainability.tufts.edu.  Web.  28  Cotober  2014        <http://sustainability.tufts.edu/wpcontent/uploads/BusinessGuidetoPaperReduction.pdf>  

 

 

 

 

 

     

   

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