STORES Magazine - January 2008 - (Page 100)

GREEN RETAILING Turning Green into Gold Office Depot committed to buying, selling and being “green” BY LEN LEWIS eing green is not always the most popular course of action. But it is becoming a key component of corporate social responsibility and the “new industrial revolution.” Those that make a real commitment to environmental awareness are finding that their efforts to do the right thing are turning green into gold. B Revamping lighting fixtures cut 66 million kWh – translating to utility savings of $6.2 million as something our associates, suppliers and customers can reach. It’s a big challenge, but we see North America and Europe as the beginning. As we establish a solid foundation we will continue to expand this program worldwide.” The company is earning kudos for its wide-ranging programs. Late last year, Office Depot received the Environmental Excellence Award for energy conservation efforts that have reduced the chain’s greenhouse At Office Depot, gas emissions by 9.4 percent. On the being “green” began by recycling product side, the company is focuspaper but has ing on buying become part greener items for of the corporate resale and internal culture. use. “We’ve spent a lot of time training merchandisers on what attributes make a product green and what discussions they should be having with suppliers in terms of driving the assortment in a greener direction,” Siddiqui says. “It’s not just about recycled content. There’s a whole range of attributes, including the issue of responsible forestry. You can also have products with good environmental attributes, but the packaging is not necessarily green. We’ll be focusing on this next.” Office Depot implemented a comprehensive ink and toner recycling program for all retail and business-to-business WWW.STORES.ORG Office Depot has spent the last six years on a holistic environmental journey driven by its corporate credo: Buy Green, Be Green, Sell Green. “We started doing things like recycling paper, but it’s evolved into an overall framework for the entire company,” says Yalmaz Siddiqui, chief environmental strategist for the Delray Beach, Fla.-based chain. “We look at our vision 100 STORES / JANUARY 2008 http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - January 2008

STORES Magazine - January 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Build a 'Bot Sneak Peek at Fashion Trends What Shoppers Think 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Cover Story: Fishing for Talent Retail CEO Compensation Research Concept2Watch E-Commerce Payment Solutions Online Merchandising POS LPInformation LP Vantage Point Newsbeat Industry Watch Cover Story: Making LP PCI-Compliant Mall Security Video Surveillance Industry Perspective Forum RFID Business Intelligence Data Management Logistics Turning Green into Gold Love of – and for – the Outdoors Loeb Retail Letter ARTS Update Point of View NRF News Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - January 2008

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