Johns Hopkins's Students for Environmental Action Work with the
University and Office Depot to purchase $300,000 of
Environmentally-Friendly Office Products
DELRAY BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 12, 2005--
U.S. consumers and offices go through more than 4 million tons of
copy paper per year and more 90 million tons of paper overall or
approximately 700 pounds per person.(1) Even with these staggering
statistics, only 40% of U.S. businesses have policies in place
regarding the purchase of environmentally preferable products.(2)
Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE:ODP) is making sure that its B2B
customers are able to take care of business and the environment this
year with the release of its 2005 Green Book catalog - the industry's
only catalog of environmentally-preferable office products that is
also printed on elemental chlorine free, 100% post-consumer waste
(PCW) recycled paper.
Sent to nearly 40,000 organizations, the Green Book contains
nearly 2,500 environmentally preferable products - an 84% increase
over last year's catalog - including paper, pens, energy efficient
computer displays, printers and light bulbs, toner cartridges,
biodegradable packing materials and cleaning supplies. These products
are equal in performance to standard items, but save raw materials,
conserve energy, or reduce or prevent the emissions of toxic
chemicals.
"Our customers view us as more than a provider of office supplies
and services - we are their business partner," said Tyler Elm, Office
Depot's Director of Environmental Affairs. "And as their partner, we
help them to achieve their business goals, including those related to
the environment."
The Green Book provides detailed information on the environmental
benefits of products, offers Top-10 Tips for greening the work
environment, and cross references these tips to specific case studies,
products and short articles throughout the catalog. This provides
customers with tangible examples, identifies products that are likely
to generate the greatest environmental benefits for the customer,
while providing examples on how easy it is to do.
Case Study: Johns Hopkins University
The Green Book is distributed to Fortune 500 companies, as well as
governmental and non-profit organizations and educational
institutions. These customers are using the catalog to make a
difference. During the first few months of 2004, Office Depot was able
to help its customers transition nearly $1 million of their office
supply spend to environmentally preferable products. One success story
involved Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the largest private employer
in the State of Maryland.
In the spring of 2004, JHU's Students for Environmental Action
(SEA) carried out a campaign to increase the amount of recycled paper
bought by departments at the university. The school was interested to
see how the Green Book could help it achieve its environmental goals,
as well as possibly help its bottom line. By the fall of 2004, working
closely with the SEA and Office Depot, the university was able to
convert 25 departments to begin using 35% post-consumer content
recycled paper, as well as to consider even more environmental options
in the year to come.
"Johns Hopkins spends more than $300,000 per year on
environmentally-friendly office products," said David Marvin,
President of the JHU Students for Environmental Action. "We met with
Office Depot and JHU representatives last year to work towards
increasing the percentage of green office products purchased each
year. We were pleasantly surprised that Office Depot offers a catalog
dedicated to eco-friendly products. The Green Book is exactly what we
are looking for; a convenient, environmentally-friendly way to help
make the University's green purchasing decisions easier."
Green Book 2005: 100% Post-Consumer Waste Paper
Beyond containing almost 2,500 environmentally preferable
products, Office Depot's Green Book catalog itself is an example of
the environmental benefits companies can achieve by using
post-consumer waste (PCW) recycled content paper.
"Using recycled rather than virgin paper conserves wood, water and
energy, and helps reduce pollution and waste," said Victoria Mills,
Project Manager at Environmental Defense.
Environmental Defense estimates that by Office Depot printing its
2005 Green Book on 100% post-consumer recycled paper instead of virgin
paper, the company will:
-- Conserve nearly 1,000 typical trees (more than 140 tons of
wood) - equivalent to the amount of wood required to make
81,000 pounds of copy paper.
-- Prevent more than 400,000 gallons of wastewater - equivalent
to the amount discharged annually by four households
-- Prevent nearly 45,000 pounds of solid waste - equivalent to
the trash generated by more than 11 households in one year
-- Save nearly 700 million BTUs of total energy - equivalent to
the amount of residential energy used annually by seven
households
-- Prevent nearly 85,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2
equivalents) - equivalent to the amount released annually by
eight cars
"For the Green Book in particular, the medium is as important as
the message," Elm noted. "As the industry's environmental leader, it
is important for Office Depot to communicate our scope of
environmentally preferable products to our customers in a manner that
positively affects the land we live on, the water we drink and the air
we breathe."
Editor's Note: The catalog is available to Office Depot's Business
Services Division contract customers (http://bsd.officedepot.com or
888-2-OFFICE). Companies that are not yet a contract customer of
Office Depot may order the catalog by visiting
www.officedepot.com/environment. The news media contact for Johns
Hopkins University's Students for Environmental Action is David
Marvin, President, 860-601-0852, marvs@jhu.edu. The news media contact
for Environmental Defense is Victoria Mills, Project Manager,
Corporate Partnerships, (617) 723-2996.
About Office Depot
Office Depot's environmental initiatives center on three guiding
principles: Recycling and Pollution Reduction; Sustainable Forest
Management; and Issue Awareness and Market Development for
environmentally preferable products. Office Depot was honored with the
United States Chamber of Commerce's Corporate Stewardship Award for
Large Companies in 2004, which recognizes businesses and chambers that
have demonstrated ethical leadership and corporate stewardship. Office
Depot is already the largest reseller of recycled paper and recycled
content products. In addition to the company's industry-leading 35%
post consumer waste content paper, Office Depot offers thousands of
different products containing recycled content and added new products
including 100% post consumer waste content papers during 2003.
With annual sales of more than $12 billion, no one sells more
office supplies to more customers in more countries than Office Depot.
Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Fla., the company
conducts business in 23 countries and employs nearly 50,000 people
worldwide.
Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel - from
retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. The
company is the world's number three online retailer - on track to
generate $3B in sales for FY'04. In North America, Office Depot has
923 retail stores in addition to a national business-to-business
delivery network supported by 22 delivery centers, more than 60 local
sales offices and 13 regional call centers.
The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index.
Additional press information can be found at:
http://mediarelations.officedepot.com.
About Environmental Defense
Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization,
represents more than 400,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental
Defense has linked science, economics, law and innovative
private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the
most serious environmental problems.
About Johns Hopkins University Students for Environmental Action
JHU Students for Environmental Action is committed to working
toward positive environmental change at the campus, community, and
national levels. Our yearly campaigns focus on reducing the
University's ecological footprint through increased energy efficiency
and alternative energy, waste reduction, and environmentally
preferable purchasing. In addition, each semester we hold numerous
events that promote awareness and action on current issues facing our
environment. SEA@jhu.edu. www.jhu.edu/~sea
(1) Worldwatch Institute; North American Pulp & Paper Fact Book
(2) Green Seal (www.greenseal.org)
MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE:
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=4798692
CONTACT: Office Depot, Delray Beach
Brian Levine, 561/438-2895
blevine@officedepot.com
SOURCE: Office Depot
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