Walking the talk: Dubai paperless initiative deserves all the praise

It was, and still is, a proud moment for all of us when Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince, announced on Twitter⁽¹⁾ that Dubai has become the world’s first paperless government. I say it was momentous because, while many other countries have been debating the possibilities of embracing paperless measures, Dubai has actually walked the talk by reducing paper consumption by a whopping 336 million sheets. Let’s take a look at how the strategy was put into action, and its impact on the government as well as nature.

Taking giant strides towards a paperless future

Achieving the 100% paperless tag was no easy feat. There were 5 phases of implementation⁽²⁾ of the Dubai Paperless Initiative, beginning in 2018 with six government entities, including the Dubai Police, Department of Land and Property, and Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. By the end of 2019, after the 3rd phase, 17 more entities had joined the initiative: The Dubai Municipality, Dubai Health Authority, Department of Finance, and Dubai Civil Aviation Authority. Collectively, the group had already minimised paper usage by over 300 million paper sheets.

The 5th and final phase, which began in June 2020, saw 11 additional government entities coming forward to implement the Dubai Paperless Strategy. In addition, these entities attained the ‘100% Digital Stamp’, awarded for their indomitable spirit on the path towards digitalization.

The effects of the epoch-making enterprise

Cutting down on costs

An interesting by-product of switching to a paperless strategy is cost-cutting. This came in the form of reduction in filing cabinets, boxes, and even entire rooms that paper would otherwise occupy. Once the need for paper documents is removed altogether, do you think the government can potentially downsize to much smaller office space? Or even better, maximize their office spaces for more relevant items? That is exactly what happened. In fact, digitalization has led to a considerable cost reduction of more than Dh 1.3 billion.

Minimizing paper-related carbon and water footprint

For every ton of paper saved, at least 17 trees are prevented from being cut down, along with saving 7,000 gallons of water⁽³⁾ and 4,000 kilowatts of energy. So, if the Dubai government has been able to cut paper consumption by 336 million paper pieces, you can guess how many trees, as well as how much water and energy, this initiative has saved.

Reduced environmental pollution

One of the major contributors to environmental pollution is paper manufacturing. The carbon dioxide, sulphur oxides, and nitrogen oxides produced by the paper industry lead to water pollution, greenhouse gases, and acid rain. Besides, the rotting paper contributes to methane gas production, which, I believe, is even more toxic than carbon dioxide. When I think of how the 17 saved trees can absorb about 250 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air every year, I feel a sense of hope for the environment. And according to Statista, the forest cover in Dubai was increased from 675 donums in 2015 to 784 donums in 2020⁽⁴⁾.

Better document management

Can government employees afford to spend hours rummaging through boxes and file cabinets trying to find a particular piece of paper, when they have bigger, more crucial affairs to attend to? No. I find digital documents to be more secure, easier to store and access, and easily manageable overall. Moreover, multiple users can read, review, and edit digital documents at the same time. With that being said, Dubai’s paperless initiative has also saved more than 14 million man-hours.

The paperless now and beyond

The aim of this ambitious digital transformation initiative was to improve the smart city experience for all people residing in Dubai. Through the DubaiNow app⁽⁵⁾, tourists and residents can now access over 130 smart city services from more than 35 government and private sector entities. This just goes to show that the Dubai government does not mind going the extra mile when it comes to providing their people with exceptional experiences. So, the fact that Dubai has become the trailblazer in the path towards a digitized government doesn’t really surprise me.

Indeed, I would even go so far as to say that other countries should also emulate such an outstanding achievement of Dubai’s. Following in Dubai’s footsteps, the US federal government has already instructed all of their government agencies to switch to a paperless format by December 31, 2022⁽⁶⁾ — which, in my opinion, is a laudable step for a country sprawled over 9.834 million square kilometres. At the end of the day, the paperless strategy proves, and also achieves, Dubai’s aspiration of focusing on the future, taking us all on a ride through the worlds of creativity, sustainability, and innovation.