The Sovereign Group’s Digital Evolution: How DocuSign is Driving Sustainability
In today’s fast-paced digital world, businesses are constantly looking for ways to streamline operations, cut costs, and minimise their environmental footprint. For The Sovereign Group, one of the biggest game-changers has been DocuSign—a simple yet powerful tool that has transformed how we manage documents, approvals, and signatures across our global offices.
A Shift Towards Sustainability
Before we introduced DocuSign in 2017, our agreement process looked very different. Documents were printed, couriered, signed, and then filed in hard copy—repeating this cycle thousands of times over. Not only was this process time-consuming, but it also had a significant environmental cost. Fast forward to today, and almost all of our document handling is digital—except for instances where a wet signature is legally required (such as deeds or when counterparties insist on physical copies).
This shift hasn’t just improved efficiency; it has made a tangible impact on our sustainability efforts. We’ve cut down on paper usage, reduced reliance on couriers, and even shrunk our office printer count to just two machines—a big feat for an office of over 50 staff.
Measurable Impact: Our Environmental Savings
The numbers speak for themselves. Since 2022, our use of DocuSign has led to significant environmental savings:
- 130,051 lbs of carbon emissions reduced
- 163,141 gallons of water conserved
- 55,406 lbs of wood saved
- 9,003 lbs of waste eliminated
To put this into perspective, that’s the equivalent of:
- Taking 11 cars off the road
- Skipping 117 loads of laundry
- Saving 166 trees
- Preventing the use of 755,137 sheets of paper
These figures, provided by DocuSign’s Environmental Impact Calculator, reflect just a snapshot of the progress we’ve made since 2022. Given that we first introduced DocuSign in 2017, our overall impact is likely much higher—though data for earlier years isn’t available.
Growth Across the Group
Initially launched in our Guernsey office, the success of DocuSign was undeniable. When our contract was up for renewal, five more offices joined the platform. And this year? Fifteen Sovereign offices are now fully onboard, meaning our savings will continue to grow exponentially.
This expansion doesn’t just make sense from a sustainability standpoint—it’s also about efficiency, security, and cost reduction. With electronic document handling, approvals are faster, there’s no risk of lost paperwork, and processes that once took days (or weeks) can now be completed in minutes.
The Bigger Picture
Our journey with DocuSign is just one example of how digital transformation is shaping the way we work. While we’re not 100% paperless yet, we’re well on our way. As a global business, we recognise the role we play in reducing our environmental impact, and small changes like this add up—not just for Sovereign, but for the planet.
As we continue to embrace digital solutions, our goal is simple: work smarter, reduce waste, and make a positive impact—one (electronic) signature at a time.
