That Was Eco-Easy

Just in time for Earth Day(R), STAPLES Canada exceeds goal for Two Million Cartridge Challenge

RICHMOND HILL, ON, April 19 /CNW/ - STAPLES Canada is leading by example, showing its customers how to think green for Earth Day(R). After launching the Million Cartridge Challenge in 2008, the company has exceeded its goal not once but twice, collecting over two million cartridges for recycling through their ink and toner return program.

"We are extremely proud of this achievement and thank our many customers for helping us exceed our goal," says Pete Gibel, Chair of STAPLES Canada environmental committee. "Through such initiatives, we want to educate our customers on how they can do their part to help the earth. We also want to re-assure our eco-conscious customers that we are committed to operating our company and retail locations in a sustainable manner so that they can feel good about shopping in our stores."

Through various in-store programs and corporate initiatives, STAPLES Canada is committed to providing easy eco-friendly solutions, educating their customers, and developing and maintaining green practices on a corporate scale to help benefit the environment.

GREEN BY NUMBERS

To date, through their eco-easy environmental program, STAPLES Canada has:

    
    -   Collected and recycled over two million empty ink and toner
        cartridges

    -   Collected and recycled 7,707 pounds of batteries in 2009, up 39 per
        cent from 2008 in partnering with the Rechargeable Battery Recycling
        Corporation (RBRC)

    -   Through partnering with the Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment
        (WEEE) Recycling Program, STAPLES has helped divert 2,100 metric
        tonnes of used electronics from landfill in Ontario, Quebec and
        Alberta.

    -   Saved over 5,000 trees through their partnership and on-site
        shredding programs with Shred-It

    -   Recycled almost 1.2 million kilograms of WEEE product in Calgary,
        Alberta in 2009 alone through partnership with e-cycle solutions to
        collect e-waste

    -   STAPLES Canada successfully recycled more than 4,438 metric tones
        (MT) of corrugated cardboard in 2009. These efforts translated to the
        protection of over 75,000 trees and a 18,196,000 kilowatts per hour
        reduction in energy consumption.
    

PARTNERING FOR PLANET EARTH

STAPLES Canada supports various organizations committed to the preservation and protection of the environment and is a proud sponsor for Earth Day Canada. This national charitable environmental organization provides Canadians the opportunities to make a positive difference in how they live their daily lives.

"Earth Day reminds Canadians how they can make changes in their own lives that will help better our environment," says Jed Goldberg, President, Earth Day Canada. "It is important that sponsors like STAPLES Canada keep the momentum going, ensuring that Earth Day Canada programs and initiatives are strong all year round."

WHAT'S IN STORE

STAPLES Canada has partnered with Earth Cycle Planning and has many initiatives in-store to educate and provide eco-friendly solutions for their customers:

    
    -   Among the 2000 products with environmental attributes the store
        offers, STAPLES' Eco Easy brand makes access to eco-friendly products
        easier and economical. Always improving, the STAPLES brand products
        are being further developed with 'green' raw materials, including
        wood fibre from certified sustainable forests, agricultural wastes
        and lower impact bio-based alternatives.

    -   STAPLES Canada offers several eco-preferable paper products that are
        endorsed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), confirming that
        these products are produced in an environmentally, socially and
        economically responsible fashion. Many items also contain post-
        consumer recycled content.

    -   Staples Canada has set a target date of September 1, 2010 to remove
        polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from all packaging materials of the products
        they sell. The company has also set a goal to eliminate PVC from all
        products and are working with suppliers to do this as quickly as
        possible.

    -   Since August 2008, STAPLES Canada has requested that all orders
        placed for delivery are a minimum of $50.00 to help reduce the
        unfavourable environmental impact of small orders. Orders under
        $50.00 involve a donation to Tree Canada who will plant a tree for
        every small order placed.
    

From reducing water and energy consumption, using earth-friendly cleaning supplies to the various partnerships with environmental organizations and in-store recycling programs, STAPLES Canada is strongly committed to maintaining their business in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Visit www.staples.ca/community for more information.

About STAPLES Canada

Founded in Toronto in 1991, STAPLES Canada Inc. is Canada's largest supplier of office supplies, business machines, office furniture and business services for the small business and home office customer. The company is an everyday low price retailer. The chain operates stores in all provinces across Canada under the banners STAPLES(R) Business Depot and Bureau en GrosMC. Marketing Magazine's Marketing/Leger 2008 Corporate Reputation Survey ranked STAPLES Canada number one among Canada's top 100 companies surveyed in Canada. The company has over 13,500 employees serving customers through more than 300 office superstores, catalogue, and e-commerce. STAPLES, is committed to making shopping easy by offering customers three ways to shop: online, by catalogue and in-store. More information is available at www.staples.ca.

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information: Alessandra Saccal, Rachel Swiednicki, STAPLES Canada, [phone], [email protected], [email protected]; Libby Stunt, Sarah Daly, Veritas Communications, [phone], [email protected], [email protected]