Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy
We actively work to conserve energy across our business and to encourage the expansion of renewable energy through the purchase of renewable energy certificates and the installation of on–site renewable energy technologies. These initiatives have clear environmental benefits, reduce our overall energy costs, and diversify our energy sources to mitigate the impacts of increases in fuel prices.
- From 2001 to 2006, we reduced our total energy consumption (including fuel used by our delivery fleet) per square foot of property by nearly 4%. We reduced our electricity consumption per square foot by 14% from 2001 to 2006.
- We purchased more than 121 million kilowatt–hours of electricity in 2006 in the form of renewable energy certificates from certified sources including wind, biomass, and landfill gas. These purchases now account for 20% of our total U.S. electricity requirements, up from 3% in 2003, and represent enough electricity to power more than 10,700 homes annually.
- We work closely with the World Resources Institute (WRI) on renewable energy development issues as a member of their Green Power Market Development Group, both in the U.S. and Europe. Both groups are composed of large corporations committed to fostering the development of cost–competitive renewable energy for the commercial and industrial sectors.
- Through our relationship with the solar developer SunEdison, Staples was hosting four active rooftop solar systems and had five more systems in final construction phases by the end of 2006. The four active systems include two 280 kW solar arrays on two distribution centers in California (Rialto and Ontario), one 120 kW system on our Staples Contract Home Office in Englewood, NJ, and one 433 kW system on our distribution center in Killingly, CT. We expect these systems to generate the equivalent amount of electricity used by more than 120 homes annually.
- In 2006, Staples was ranked 3rd out of the top 10 corporate retail purchasers of “green power” by U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership.
Climate Change
Staples is committed to reducing the effects of our energy use on climate through continued conservation, the adoption of renewable energy technologies where financially viable, and the purchase of renewable energy certificates to promote the development of clean renewable energy.
- As part of our U.S. EPA Climate Leaders membership, Staples has voluntarily committed to a 7% reduction in our U.S. carbon emissions by 2010 on an absolute basis, starting from a base year of 2001. As of 2005, we had reduced our net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by nearly 5% versus 2001.
- We work with the World Resources Institute as part of the Climate Northeast Partnership, which is a group of companies in the Northeastern U.S. that share strategies and tactics for succeeding in a carbon–constrained economy.
- We realized a GHG emissions savings of more than 22% per square foot of our properties from 2001 to 2005.
- We voluntarily participated in the third annual Carbon Disclosure Project a large institutional investor coalition seeking information on what steps large companies globally are taking to address climate change.
