Highlights Commitment to Community, Diversity, Ethics and the Environment, and Includes Customizable Reporting Functionality
FRAMINGHAM, Mass.—Staples, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS), the world’s largest office products company, today released its new Staples Soul Report. The report, available at www.staples.com/soul, provides an overview of the company’s corporate responsibility work and its global impact in the areas of community involvement, diversity, ethics and the environment. The report presents the company’s corporate responsibility performance for 2009 in a new, dynamic online site that lets visitors easily create custom reports.
“Through our commitment to corporate responsibility, what we call Staples Soul, we have become a better employer, neighbor and business leader,” said Ron Sargent, chairman and chief executive officer, Staples, Inc. “Our goal is to not only meet the expectations of our customers, associates, shareholders and communities we serve, but to work toward being a model for others to follow.”
The new report allows Staples stakeholders to view corporate responsibility information in a clear and transparent manner. Viewers can choose to print the entire web site in the form of a report, or individual sections that can be compiled into a customizable version. The Staples Soul site will also serve as an ongoing source for updates on new corporate responsibility related developments. For example, Staples recently launched its new sustainability strategy that calls on suppliers to find innovative solutions for product manufacturing, packaging, and distribution which reduce impacts on the planet, and includes these sustainable business practices as part of its purchasing criteria. Highlights of the accomplishments reflected in the new online report include:
Community:
- Donated more than $32 million worldwide in 2008 and 2009 through monetary and in-kind donations to thousands of non-profit organizations across the United States, Europe, South America and Asia
- Deepened Staples’ global giving footprint by expanding Ashoka’s Youth Venture social entrepreneur program to the Netherlands, and creating the first global environmental education partnership with Taking IT Global
- Empowered tens of thousands of associates globally to become more engaged with the company’s community programs and volunteer their time with hundreds of non-profit groups globally
Diversity:
- Conducted two new diversity education programs to spread successful practices and ideas throughout the company
- Hired a senior manager of corporate supplier diversity to further develop internal processes and increase historically underutilized business (HUB) utilization
- Reached new milestones in the Corporate Express supplier integration
Ethics
- Instituted a corporate governance outreach program to respond to shareholder concerns in a timely fashion
- Supplemented the Staples Code of Ethics with new policies such as the Leader’s Guide to Ethics at Staples, Gifts and Entertainment, and Anti-Corruption
- Launched the Staples EthicsLink helpline in all locations that were formerly part of Corporate Express, developed a new ethics guidebook for managers and other leaders, and delivered live ethics training in China, Canada and Brazil
Environment
- Sold more than $2 billion of products with environmental features in the U.S., and launched European corporate responsibility catalogs enabling customers to more easily identify these products.
- Collected and recycled more than 55 million ink and toner cartridges and 7.7 million pounds of electronic waste in the U.S.
- Decreased electrical intensity of retail stores by 12% from 2007 to 2009 and reduced absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 21% from 2001 to 2009 in the U.S.
- Collaborated with Dogwood Alliance to launch the Carbon Canopy, a multi-stakeholder effort involving conservation groups, wood products companies, and landowners that will protect forests, combat climate change and help develop sources of paper and wood products certified to the high standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
About Staples
Staples, the world’s largest office products company, is committed to making it easy for customers to buy a wide range of office products and services. Our broad selection of office supplies, electronics, technology and office furniture as well as business services, including computer repair and copying and printing, helps our customers run their offices efficiently. With 2009 sales of $24 billion and 91,000 associates worldwide, Staples operates in 26 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia serving businesses of all sizes and consumers. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and today ranks second worldwide in e-commerce sales. The company is headquartered outside Boston. More information about Staples (Nasdaq: SPLS) is available at www.staples.com/media. Follow Staples on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/staplestweets and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/staples.