DELRAY BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 15, 2005--Office Depot
(NYSE:ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services,
and The Nature Conservancy, a private, international, non-profit
organization established in 1951 to preserve the plants, animals and
natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth,
today announced a newly created boreal ecologist position as part of
Office Depot's continuing support of and participation in the Forest &
Biodiversity Conservation Alliance.
Formed in 2004 by Office Depot, in partnership with Conservation
International, NatureServe, and The Nature Conservancy -- three of the
world's most respected science-driven conservation organizations --
the Alliance addresses forest and biodiversity conservation issues
within the supply chain.
"For more than a year, the Forest & Biodiversity Conservation
Alliance has been advancing responsible forest practices and
developing better information on at-risk species," said Tyler Elm,
Director of Environmental Affairs for Office Depot. "This position was
created in part to help our suppliers identify and conserve areas of
exceptional biodiversity value within the Canadian boreal forest,
which will assist them in meeting the requirements of Office Depot's
Environmental Paper Procurement Policy."
Evie Witten has been named to the ecologist position, serving as
the boreal forest scientist for The Nature Conservancy's Canada/U.S.
Partnership. In her new role, she will collaborate with forest
industry partners and conservation groups including World Wildlife
Fund Canada and NatureServe Canada to help identify high conservation
values in the production forests of the Canadian boreal. In addition,
Witten will help lead conservation area design efforts in Northeastern
Ontario, Western Quebec and other boreal regions by working alongside
forest industry partners, provincial governments, and conservation
groups.
Witten previously served as Director of the World Wildlife Fund
Alaska Field Office, securing the conservation of biologically
important areas, with particular focus on the Bering Sea. She also
worked for the US Forest Service documenting and modeling fire and
other natural disturbances in Alaska forests. As a contract manager
for The Nature Conservancy, Witten drafted assessments that
established the Forest Legacy Program in Alaska. From 1995 to 1999,
Witten was Executive Director of the Great Land Trust in Alaska. She
also has extensive prior consulting experience as a forest ecologist.
"The Alliance is working aggressively to harness conservation
science and business ingenuity to achieve positive outcomes for global
forests and biodiversity," said Mike Andrews, Chief Conservation
Officer of The Nature Conservancy. "By bringing an experienced
ecologist such as Evie Witten on board, we are taking considerable
steps forward in helping make these goals a reality."
Already on the job, Witten is working with World Wildlife Fund
Canada and Abitibi-Consolidated to apply NatureServe and other data to
identify high conservation value forests in the forestlands associated
with Office Depot's supply chain. Once identified, Abitibi will
collaborate with key stakeholders, including provincial governments,
to address any needs for special management or conservation.
"Forest Conservation planning is a key focus of our activities and
we greatly value our collaboration with Office Depot, the Alliance and
World Wildlife Fund, to explore efficient and effective mechanisms for
implementing sound conservation practices," said Francine Dorion, Vice
President of Sustainability and Environment for Abitibi-Consolidated,
a key Office Depot paper supplier, global leader in newsprint and
commercial printing papers, and major producer of wood products.
"Together through active engagement, we are building a stronger
knowledge base for planning and identifying measurable outcomes for
forest species, ecological communities, and landscapes."
The Forest & Biodiversity Conservation Alliance also focuses on
developing scientific information to improve forest management,
applying science-based methods for biodiversity conservation,
enhancing environmental procurement practices, and training foresters
and scientists.
"The Alliance is a unique blend of corporate and environmental
interests working to achieve measurable conservation outcomes," said
Dennis Grossman, Vice President for Science at NatureServe. "Together,
we are advancing the conservation of species, biological communities,
and ecological systems in forest landscapes, and identifying
landscape-level planning approaches that employ responsible forest
practices."
Alliance participation and support is a key component of Office
Depot's five-year strategy to advance the company's forest and
biodiversity conservation policies and incorporate conservation
science into paper-procurement decisions. Office Depot has integrated
Alliance objectives into its paper-procurement policy, with a focus on
reducing the environmental footprint of its forest and paper-product
suppliers while contributing to global biodiversity conservation.
Participation in the Alliance has also enabled Office Depot to
identify challenges to forest and biodiversity conservation faced by
landowners, managers, and the company's own sourcing and vendor
compliance personnel. In addition, it has strengthened the company's
ability to address these challenges and implement corporate policies
on rare and vulnerable forests and those containing exceptional
biodiversity values.
Office Depot and the Environment
Office Depot, listed on both the FTSE4Good Index and Dow Jones
Sustainability Index, focuses its environmental initiatives on
sustainable forest management, recycling and pollution reduction, as
well as promotion of environmental issues and markets for
environmentally-preferable products.
Beyond its industry-leading 35% post-consumer waste content paper,
Office Depot offers thousands of products containing recycled
materials. In January 2005, the company issued its Green Book catalog
of almost 2,500 environmentally-friendly products to U.S. contract
customers. The 84% increase in environmentally-preferable products
highlighted in the 2005 edition, includes paper; pens; energy
efficient computer displays, printers and light bulbs; toner
cartridges; and biodegradable packing materials.
The Green Book itself is the only environmentally-preferable
office products catalog printed on elemental chlorine-free 100%
post-consumer waste recycled paper and is distributed to more than
40,000 organizations to easily help "green" their office supply
purchasing process. Businesses can obtain a free copy of the Green
Book through Office Depot's environmental Web site at
www.officedepot.com/environment or through its Business Services
Division at +1-888-2-OFFICE.
In April 2005, in recognition of its environmental stewardship,
Office Depot received the "Outstanding Retailer" Award by the
International Council of Shopping Centers and U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
Editor's Note: For more information on Office Depot's
environmental initiatives, visit www.officedepot.com/environment. The
news media contact for Abitibi-Consolidated is Denis Leclerc at
Denis_Leclerc@abitibiconsolidated.com or 514-394-3601.
About Office Depot
With annual sales approaching $14 billion, Office Depot provides
more office products and services to more customers in more countries
than any other company. Incorporated in 1986 and headquartered in
Delray Beach, Florida, Office Depot conducts business in 23 countries
and employs 47,000 people worldwide. The Company operates under the
Office Depot(R), Viking Office Products(R), Viking Direct(R),
Guilbert(R), and Tech Depot(R) brand names.
Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel - from
retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. With
$3.1 billion in online sales in FY'04, the Company is the world's
number three Internet retailer. Office Depot has 1,000 retail stores
in North America in addition to a national business-to-business
delivery network supported by 22 delivery centers and more than 60
local sales offices. Internationally, the Company conducts wholly
owned operations in 14 countries through 77 retail stores and 26
distribution centers, and operates 153 retail stores under joint
venture and license arrangements in another seven countries.
The company's common stock is listed 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 The Nature Conservancy
With operations in all 50 U.S. states and 30 other countries, The
Nature Conservancy is a private, international, non-profit
organization established in 1951 to preserve the plants, animals and
natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by
protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the
Conservancy and its one million members have been responsible for the
protection of more than 117 million acres in the United States and 27
countries around the world. Additional information can be found at
http://nature.org/
About Conservation International
Conservation International (CI) believes that the Earth's natural
heritage must be maintained if future generations are to thrive
spiritually, culturally and economically. CI is currently working on
projects in more than 40 countries on four continents to protect
global biodiversity and demonstrate that human societies can live
harmoniously with nature. CI develops scientific, policy, and economic
solutions to protect threatened natural ecosystems that are rich in
biodiversity. To find out more, visit www.conservation.org.
About NatureServe
NatureServe is a non-profit conservation group dedicated to
providing the scientific information and technology needed to guide
effective conservation action. NatureServe represents a network of 75
natural heritage programs and conservation data centers in the United
States, Canada, and Latin America that collect and analyze information
on plants, animals, and ecosystems. NatureServe is a leading source
for detailed scientific information about rare and endangered species
and threatened ecosystems. Visit us on the web at www.natureserve.org.
CONTACT: Office Depot, Delray Beach
Brian Levine, 561-438-2895
blevine@officedepot.com
or
Conservation International
Jason Anderson, 202-912-1464
j.anderson@celb.org
or
NatureServe
Rob Riordan, 703-908-1831
rob_riordan@natureserve.org
or
The Nature Conservancy
Jim Petterson, 303-541-0369
jpetterson@tnc.org
SOURCE: Office Depot
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