Do you print off documents to read before a meeting or to add your signature?

Then you may attract the ire of paper-free campaigners who want to stamp out waste.

In a recent survey by information body AIIM, more than half of respondents admitted to the printing crime.

It also found one in five businesses are increasing their paper use and more than 75% are ignoring official environmental policies to use less paper.

This is despite potential savings, according to AIIM president, John Mancini: “Millions of unnecessary sheets of paper are printed every single day but reducing reliance on paper means organisations can respond to customers faster, be more productive, save on storage and have a significant impact on the world we live in.”

Two thirds of those who said their organisations already commit to reducing paper use, had seen a return on investment (ROI) on their paper-free projects within a year. More than three-quarters had done so within 18 months.

The revelation came as hundreds of firms backed World Paper Free Day 2014 last Thursday, including IBM, Accenture, London Underground, Citigroup, the US Department of Defense and HP.