Easy on the Planet: sustainability at Staples

Written By Leigh Pearson, Director of Facilities, Environment & Procurement at Staples Canada  
I’m lucky to work for a company that isn’t only about putting up strong financials, but is a retailer that’s socially responsible. We have a long history of showing our heart, or what we call our “Staples Soul”, with broad principles and high ideals. As part of our corporate social responsibility mandate, we know we have a huge responsibility to run our business in a sustainable manner and reduce our environmental impact.  In fact, it’s so important, we engrained it in our annual business objectives. I wanted to share some examples of the programs we run internally and publicly in hopes that they will inspire you or your business to take charge and implement some of your own at work or at home.

Recycling and Waste Diversion
When we started our business, we focused on core office supplies like ink and paper, but as the industry and customer needs evolved, we began to carry everything from electronics to medical supplies, and even fresh flowers. We help businesses find the products they need to succeed, but we recognized that we could also be there to help them be more environmentally-conscious. That’s why we implemented an in-store recycling program where customers are encouraged to bring in batteries, end-of-life electronics, ink and toner, and even writing instruments for safe recycling. In the second quarter of 2013 alone, our customers helped divert over 23,880 kg of batteries, 790,000 ink and toner cartridges, 797.44 metric tons of electronics and 3,083 writing instruments!
Internally, we have waste stations for organics, garbage, containers and recycling at our offices and stores. At our head office, each Associate has garbage, recycling and organic bins at their workstation, while in the stores, they are placed in the break rooms.  Of the 40.9 metric tons of waste we generated so far this year, only 8.5 went to landfill, and though we’re proud of that accomplishment we know we have a lot more work to do before we can get to zero.
Living Planet @ Work’s Smart Office Challenge and Waste Reduction Week in Canada
Constantly educating Associates about the importance of reducing our environmental footprint is a key focus for us. So when we learned about the Smart Office Challenge that WWF’s Living Planet @ Work program was running during this year’s Waste Reduction Week, we were eager to get on board. We gave Associates tips on what they can do to help us be a greener office, like bringing lunch in reusable containers and changing their printing habits. We also engaged our senior leaders and asked them to reward passionate Associates in their departments with gift cards – a small token of appreciation, because our programs wouldn’t be a success without their help.

Energy Conservation
We’ve recently partnered with Bullfrog Power to provide us with clean, renewable electricity for two office buildings and 11 stores across Canada, making Staples the 10th largest consumer of renewable energy in the country. And thanks to a light bulb retrofit we implemented in the majority of our stores last year, we reduced electrical consumption by over 11%.
If you visit our stores between June and July, you will notice that the lighting is reduced for our Lights Out program. This past summer, Lights Out helped us lower electrical consumption during those months by over 2.4 million KW.

We know that as corporate citizens we can’t deny our footprint, therefore we can’t deny our influence and our ability to make a positive impact. I hope some of our programs gave you ideas on what you can do in your workplace – whether large or small. From diverting waste, to taking The Smart Office Challenge, to reducing the lights, every action you take does in fact count!
If you want to learn more about what we do, visit staples.ca/environment and check out WWF’s Living Plant at Work program for more ideas!