1. Prevent identity fraud & bin raiding
The only way to protect yourself from identity fraud is to shred sensitive documents including bank statements and unwanted direct mail. A shredder is a ‘must-have’ home and office product. Rexel have developed a range of shredders with both the everyday home user and busy office worker in mind – our stylish designs will take pride of place in your home or office.
Despite the fact that identity theft is one of the fastest growing types of fraud in Europe, many people still dismiss it – believing that they will not be a target. If only they knew the following statistics:
- "Bin raiding' is the main source of information for identity fraudsters.
- Many victims of identity fraud do not discover their identity has been stolen until over a year later."
- It takes the average victim over 300 hours of stress and worry to put their records straight after their identity has been stolen.
- Identity fraud can destroy your credit rating.
- The emotional impact of having your identity stolen can be significant – it is a very distressing experience.
E-mails, utility bills, bank statements, old credit cards, employment records and direct mail can all contain information that you would not want to fall into the wrong hands. It's not just about theft – Shred personal information to avoid the embarrassment of others discovering it.
Identity fraud can also destroy your credit rating. Can you afford to ignore the threat of identity theft?
YOUR IDENTITY IS PRECIOUS, LET'S PROTECT IT – SHRED IT DON'T BIN IT!
2. Protect business information
Shredding confidential business documents is essential for protecting your business and preventing any business information from falling into the wrong hands or from any outsider trading under your name. Knowing that your business funds and sensitive information is safe and secure will give you peace of mind.
It comes down to data protection. You do not want to give away your identity or position in your business, such as business address, contact details, bank details or any other private information. Many businesses have confidential information such as payroll, profits, margins and spend which do not want to be disclosed to third parties like the public or competitors, therefore shredding this information are advised for protection of the business.
3. Clear space in the working environment and health and safety
Not only is shredding important to protect your business, it also keeps the work environment clean from any clutter or mess and safe and clean from potential lawsuit hazards.
Having a desk and floor piling up with paper that is never used is a waste of space and a health and safety hazard for workers and colleagues, shredding can make more space available and remove the safety hazard on the floor and save you from a large lawsuit by someone who may injure themselves should the paper fall on them and cause injury.
4. Recycle and re-use the shredded material
There are many great ways to re-use your shredded paper within the home.
If you are a keen gardener, then your paper can be recycled and turned into compost. This will not only provide you with homemade compost, but it will save you money in the long run and provide you with organic matter.
Another great way to re-use your shredded paper is for animal bedding or a cat litter tray. Hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs all like to make their beds from this kind of matter. For cats litter trays, paper is a great alternative to expensive litter and it is a great money saver as bedding and litter needs to be changed regularly. You can also donate your shredded paper to your local RSPCA.
If you are sending a fragile package to a loved one in a box, you can use your shredded paper to protect the package from breaking. This will save on expensive polystyrene.
5. Benefit the environment
The world’s rainforests are disappearing at a rate of 6000 acres every hour (about 4000 football fields). When the rainforests are cut down, the animals and species living within the area are destroyed and as a result, some are on the verge of extinction. This also disrupts the balance of the world’s eco-system. The rainforests are needed to produce oxygen and clean the air in order for us to breathe and survive, climate and the earth’s water cycle is also affected by deforestation.
By shredding your paper you are helping prevent the destruction of virgin rainforests from which non eco-friendly paper is made, as your paper shredding can be recycled and used again to create many everyday objects such as cardboard, paper, toilet paper and much more rather than dumped in landfill.