Accounting firms could do with a greener approach following shocking reports of their high paper-wastage.

According to research - by economic research consultancy the Centre for Economics and Business Research (cebr) and European printing company, OKI Printing Solutions - about £11m is wasted every year by the profession.

The report, Outsourced Printing – a Waste of Paper, suggests that huge savings could be made by implementing changes in daily printing tasks of tax and accounting firms.

This would entail primarily printing a higher percentage of materials in-house, thus reducing the sector's huge printing bill – swollen through the outsourced printing of audits, reports, business cards, marketing brochures and other branded documents.

Chris Gill, Managing Director of OKI Printing Solutions is advising firms to make savings.

'An obvious way for this sector to reduce printing costs is to stop all unnecessary outsourced printing - of which 20% is never even used and then thrown out. We want people to realise that they can quickly and efficiently design and print materials in house whilst keeping an accurate control of costs,' said Gill.