Paperless office can be an old idea - we've been talking about it for decades - but dematerialization in general can be something new for many companies, even big ones. True: in some sectors - Banking and Finance, mainly - dematerialization of key processes is a given. But in other important sectors it's easy to find organizations that aren't approaching the issue in a structured and strategic way. But now there's something that can force them to do so: ESG compliance, because getting rid of paper is an (almost) easy way to improve your "green" posture.

That's also why Padua-based Euronovate Group leveraged its extensive experience in dematerialization, digital identity management and trust services to develop a specific methodology - called Value Wheel - to introduce dematerialization in an organization and connect it to its processes and ESG goals and policies. Public and Private Health, Utilities, Retail and Manufacturing are the sectors where the Value Wheel could be more useful. They all are - says Massimo Ciocca, Head of Sales Retail, PA and Healthcare, Euronovate Group - "vertical use cases requiring specific skills and a structured approach".

The right approach is the key. What many organizations lack, says Euronovate, is precisely an awareness of what approaching dematerialization means: not just putting some hardware and software products together but an articulated process starting from a thorough analysis of what exists and what is needed to improve company processes that are always critical. Adding ESG compliance makes all this more interesting, but also a bit more complex.

That's where the Value Wheel helps. With a (positive) warning: its most conspicuous output may be the overall assessment of the "green" improvements brought by a dematerialization project, but the concrete value comes right from the start, as a methodology that gives structure and substance to the project itself. Which in Euronovate Group's intentions is not just "a technological modernization but a complete transformation of the way the company handles dematerialization."

Euronovate's Value Wheel is a seven-steps framework for a dematerialization project. It starts with an assessment of present processes and of the company goals for the project itself. The next phase is defining the general architecture of the new solution and the technological components it needs, followed by a phase of designing the dematerialization and information flows and - next step - the new systems' first implementation. Next, the Wheel describes the project's go-live phase, where the new solurions are definitely integrated with existing IT, and the real-time monitoring phase, where performances of the new architeture are assessed. The last step is an evaluation of how much have improved some KPIs related to sustainability, operating efficiency, social issues, costs reduction.

Euronovate Group makes a symbolic example of the value Wheel's effectiveness. For a Public Health organization with 300 employees in 90 offices and 4,5 million A4 paper sheets processed every year, the Wheel led to 340,000 euros in less costs, 21,000 tons of CO2 not emitted and a breakeven of the dematerialization project in just 13 months.

The Value Wheel is applicable in any field and for any type of organization. Of course, requirements, objectives and reference regulations may change, and the objectives of the specific project may change too. This "adaptability" of the methodology is a plus Euronovate Group will put to play in its approach to all the markets where dematerialization is an issue. Also in Europe and globally, leveraging the experience made with Italian dematerialization projects, which usually are more evolved than those in other markets, especially outside Europe.