Digital business cards (e-business cards) are seeing widespread adoption, and it’s clear why. These modern alternatives are easy to access and save, are trackable, and provide superior interactivity compared to their paper-based counterparts.
In addition to the networking benefits that digital cards offer, another major reason behind this shift is that digital business cards can be shared in a completely paperless manner.
As, a result, you can ensure a sustainable networking initiative.
In this article, learn why a digital business card is the absolute key to eco-friendly business card creation, management, and distribution.
Table of contents
- What makes a business card 100% eco-friendly and sustainable?
- How do digital business cards offer a truly eco-friendly experience?
- How do I create eco-friendly digital business cards?
- Adopt and create eco-friendly business cards with the best digital business card solution
What makes a business card 100% eco-friendly and sustainable?
You may have already encountered several eco-friendly business card alternatives. From recycled to plantable to edible paper, there’s a wide range of sustainable business card options available. Each has its unique way of promoting environmental sustainability.
However, most eco-friendly business card options have one thing in common. They undergo manufacturing and printing, which leaves carbon footprints, albeit in a lesser amount. Therefore, going completely digital with your business card creation and distribution is the only way to achieve 100% sustainability in your business card use.
What does this mean?
A digital business card is the only eco-friendly business card option that allows you to leave zero carbon footprints in your networking. This is because they are created, managed, and distributed virtually.
For instance, this is how the entire flow works with Uniqode (formerly Beaconstac)’s digital business card solution:
#1 Create an e-business card on Uniqode’s dashboard.
#2 Send the digital business card to your Apple Wallet (or Google Wallet).
#3 Let a client scan your digital business card directly from your smartphone’s Apple or Google Wallet.
#4 The recipient instantly saves your contact information on their mobile device.
This way, you eliminate the need for paper business card use and printing. You network in a completely paperless and sustainable manner.
How do digital business cards offer a truly eco-friendly experience?
Switching to digital business cards eliminates the use of paper
Traditional business cards rely extensively on paper manufacturing. Each year, it is estimated that 100 billion business cards are printed worldwide. Accommodating this demand requires around 7 million trees to be cut down annually.
Paper business cards can also become outdated with the slightest change in your contact information. Updating your cards means you will have to reprint them, resulting in more demand for paper.
In contrast, a digital business card requires zero paper production and printing. You can generate and share these eco business cards in a paperless manner.
Once you create it virtually, you can share your digital business card in numerous contactless ways. And when you need to update your contact information, you can edit the card content at the backend without having to re-create your card.
As an added benefit, creating digital business cards takes only a few minutes to perform. This is true whether you make a standalone card or produce them in bulk. Hence, you would not experience long turnaround times when procuring paper business cards.
Interesting stat: The absence of paper printing makes digital business cards significantly more cost-effective.
Let’s look at an example:
The average annual cost to print paper business cards can go as high as $194 per employee in the US. Suppose you need to generate 500 business cards. Per the cost estimates above, your total expense can get as high as $97,000.
You can significantly reduce this cost with Uniqode’s digital business card solution, as you can generate and share 500 cards for a fraction of this annual average cost.
Furthermore, you get to network in an eco-friendly and sustainable way.
Reducing carbon footprints in your networking with e-business cards
A recent WEF annual meeting concluded that digital technology could deliver one-fifth of the cuts needed to hit net-zero emissions by 2050. This suggests that a complete digital overhaul is one way to achieve long-term sustainability.
While other eco-friendly business card options are considered green solutions, they are not without their share of emissions. For instance, producing a metric ton of recycled paper emits 0.15 metric tons of CO2 equivalent vis-à-vis producing the same amount of virgin paper.
If you wish to totally eliminate carbon footprint in your networking, using e-business cards is the most effective solution.
In addition to the above-mentioned eco-friendly advantages, numerous other benefits of digital business cards make your networking impactful. These include contactless sharing, lead collection, interactivity, and more.
How do I create eco-friendly digital business cards?
The most efficient way to create sustainable business cards is through a specialized and robust digital business card solution. A dedicated e-business card platform will provide you with all the features you need to create, share, and track sustainable business cards.
You can learn more about eco-friendly business card creation by referring to our easy-to-implement guide on how to make a digital business card.
Next step? Adopt and create eco-friendly business cards with the best digital business card solution
A Statista survey reveals that 82% of customers prefer to work with companies that prioritize people and the planet first. So if you want to capture the interest and attention of eco-conscious consumers, going eco-friendly with your business card networking would be an ideal start.
Uniqode’s digital business card solution lets you go completely paperless with your business card creation, distribution, and management. You get to conduct professional networking in a truly sustainable manner.
As a dedicated e-business card platform, Uniqode provides all the features and capabilities you need to achieve results-driven networking. You can leverage features such as Two-Way Contact Sharing, team-level analytics, enterprise-grade security, and more—all without ever needing to download an app.
Suggested further reading:
1. The best digital business card solutions in 2024
2. The 5 features that make Uniqode the best digital business card solution
Frequently asked questions about eco-friendly business cards
Are business cards environmentally friendly?
Traditional business cards have a big environmental footprint, relying heavily on paper manufacturing. To truly conduct sustainable networking, you can switch to digital business cards. These eco-friendly business card options are completely paperless and allow you to network in a contactless manner.
What is the best sustainable alternative to paper business cards?
Due to being 100% digital w.r.t. card creation and distribution, e-business cards stand as the best alternative—as far as sustainability is concerned. Digital business cards eliminate the need to manufacture paper or similar mediums for your business card use.
Are e-business cards cost-effective compared to other eco-friendly business card alternatives?
Yes. E-business cards are sustainable and cost-effective alternatives to traditional business cards. With e-business cards, you can save as much as $122-146 on business card expenses per employee per year.
Check out Uniqode’s digital business card pricing to learn more.