Staples 2004 Annual Report Download - page 8

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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT
VISION STATEMENT: Staples’ corporate soul is centered on a rock solid belief in social
responsibility and the desire to make a positive impact on our associates, customers, and
the world. We act responsibly and with integrity, conducting our global business as a
great employer, corporate citizen and neighbor. Staples’ soul thrives in the fair treatment
of our diverse and talented associates, in our environmental conscience, in giving back to
our communities and in our sound business ethics.
We are proud of the excellent financial results we achieved in 2004. We are equally proud
of the way we achieved these results and the positive difference we have made in the lives
of our stakeholders. Listening to our associates, customers, suppliers, the communities
where we do business, and environmental advocates, we have made significant strides in
continuing our journey to be a great corporate citizen. As we grow our business, we believe
being socially responsible will differentiate Staples and drive our company performance.
Over the past year, we assembled a team of associates to strengthen our commitment to
sustainable business practices in four key areas, including the environment, business ethics
and corporate governance, diversity, and community affairs. We are pleased with our
accomplishments, many of which are summarized below. Going forward, we will continue
to seek new ways to integrate our commitment to corporate social responsibility with our
core business.
ENVIRONMENT
Environmental stewardship and sustainable business practices continue to be important at
Staples. We offer products and services to help our customers preserve natural resources
and reduce their environmental footprint.
Staples’ company-wide commitment to the environment is founded on four major
cornerstones: the purchase and promotion of products containing post-consumer recycled
materials; recycling initiatives; energy conservation and renewable power procurement; and
environmental education initiatives for customers and associates.
Purchase and Promotion of Products Containing Post-Consumer Recycled Materials
Staples offers for sale nearly 2,800 items containing recycled materials. These products
range from paper to plastic storage to remanufactured ink and toner cartridges. This,
coupled with our industry-first paper procurement policy, continues to promote
responsible sourcing from sustainably managed forests, clean production, and utilization of
more recycled and alternative fiber content material. Staples has increased the average
post-consumer content in all paper offered for sale in the US from 18.7% in 2002 to 26.9%