Office Depot Sees Jump in Recycled Paper Sales

Office Depot announced that last year 65 percent of its U.S. paper sales came from recycled paper -- a 373 percent increase from 2003. Office Depot also reported that the average annual post-consumer waste recycled content of all paper it sold in the United States last year climbed by nearly 125 percent.

During 2004, 65.3 percent of Office Depot's total U.S. retail, contract business, and commercial paper sales contained PCW recycled content -- up from 13.8 percent in 2003. In addition, the overall average PCW recycled content (total weight of recycled fiber as a percent of total paper weight) of paper sold across all U.S. channels reached 10.5 percent--up from 4.5 percent in 2003.

Office Depot's 2004 recycled paper sales volume is the culmination of numerous recent corporate initiatives to further develop and market paper that meets business requirements while addressing environmental interests. Last year, Office Depot enhanced its branded paper lineup by increasing PCW recycled content in white copy paper, inkjet paper, laser paper, color laser paper, and color copier paper.

In 2004, Office Depot also became the first reseller to include PCW recycled content fiber in its standard copy paper--designed for everyday high-volume copy and printing. At the same time, it introduced elemental chlorine-free Office Depot brand paper--employing an advanced brightening process to reduce pollution while enabling production of bright, white paper.