29 August 2007 — Delray Beach (FL): Office Depot has announced that it has achieved a 10.1 percent absolute reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas and electricity consumed in its North American retail stores, warehouses and offices.
Between 2005 and 2006, Office Depot reduced electricity consumption by approximately 65 million kilowatt hours and natural gas by 50,000 mmBTU. An impressive achievement considering the firm’s total facilities footprint in the region increased by 1.7 million m².
"Office Depot’s environmental strategy is structured around a vision to increasingly buy green, be green and sell green," said Yalmaz Siddiqui, environmental strategy advisor for the office products retailer. "By reducing greenhouse gases so dramatically in one year, we have clearly shown a commitment to being green and reducing our carbon footprint."
Office Depot was able to reduce company emissions by implementing a range of initiatives to decrease energy usage in 2006, which included completing one of the largest energy efficiency lighting retrofits ever by fitting the firm’s North American retail store chain with T5 energy-efficient lights and adding light-sensors in stores to automatically turn off lighting when bathrooms and break rooms are not occupied, among others.
Depot was recognised for its sustainability initiatives in 2006 with the Flex Your Power Award by Southern California Edison, one of the largest utility companies in the United States. The company also recently joined the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program.
