Our Strategy

We’re focused on finding all the ways in which we can have the greatest positive impact on the environment while also meeting the needs of our customers and our business. Our commitment to accomplishing this is outlined in our Global Sustainability Policy, and summarized in the five pillars of our sustainability program:

• Selling more sustainable products
• Offering easy recycling solutions for our customers
• Eliminating operational waste
• Maximizing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy
• Becoming a sustainability leader in the global community

We set a series of global and U.S.-specific environmental objectives. Our performance highlights track how we’re progressing toward these goals.

Our sustainability efforts are managed by the Vice President of Environmental Affairs, who reports to the Chief Culture Officer, who, in turn, reports to the CEO.

The Vice President of Environmental Affairs has global responsibility for sustainability and provides periodic updates to the Board of Directors, including meeting with our Audit Committee to advise them on environmental considerations in our company-wide risk management process. The Environmental Affairs Department collaborates with other associates in the U.S. and internationally, including, but not limited to, associates in real estate and construction, energy management, merchandising, the Staples^® Brand Group, supply chain, marketing and corporate responsibility.

Our sustainability strategy and pillars capture the key challenges and opportunities facing our company and industry. As a retailer, we recognize that the products we sell are a significant part of our larger environmental footprint. That’s why we focus both on making our products and services more sustainable, as well as reducing our internal operational impact. We continuously assess industry trends, company objectives and environmental issues to re-calibrate our programs. We evaluate our progress against goals to make sure we are on track, and, if not, to ask ourselves how we can make better progress.

This combined emphasis on dialogue and collaboration, as well as staying abreast of trends, opportunities and challenges, helps the organization keep environmental sustainability front of mind in the company’s decision making.

Hear from Staples’ own sustainability leaders about our strategy.