FedEx Kinko's, Staples Top Environmental Score Card
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 09.17.07
Photo credit: maulleigh
Office-supply retailers have been upping their use of recycled paper, as well as their commitment to sustainable logging management and other environmental issues, according to a recent scorecard released by ForestEthics and Dogwood Alliance, which have tracked the environmental practices of the office-supply sector since 2000.
Topping the list of the top five U.S. office retailers are FedEx Kinko's and Staples, although each only scored a "B," leaving plenty of room for improvement, so don't get cocky, kids!
The other companies were Corporate Express, Office Depot, and OfficeMax.
"The office supply sector has finally begun to make its paper supply more environmentally friendly," Andrew Goldberg, Dogwood Alliance's director of corporate engagement, said in a statement. “Where just a few years ago you could not find paper with recycled content, now it’s readily available. That’s a good first step, but these companies must sharpen their pencils and use their purchasing power to reform business-as-usual industrial logging and bring about improved management practices on the ground in the Endangered Forests of the U.S. South, North America’s Great Boreal Forest and other parts of the world." ::GreenBiz News
This is really great news, and affirmation that recycling CAN be cost-effective and work in a corporate environment. The more companies as big as these use and promote recycled items, the more other companies will look into and use recycled stuff themselves.
How's that old saying go? 'It only takes one stone to make a ripple'? or some such? :D
Well, I do have a small beef with Kinkos... behold:
Kinkos charges 2x as much for double sided prints as for regular prints. Therefore there is no incentive to choose double sided even though it saves Kinko's money!
LAME!
actually, most of the costs of a double sided copy are in the copying, not the paper. Of the 9.x cents for a single sided copy, 8cents goes towards the copying, 1 cent goes to the cost of the paper. The 8 cents is divided between various minor operational costs, fees to the copier lease holder, fees to the building lease holder, electricity, employee costs, wasted copies amortized. It's a real business where there are real 'other' costs.
Kinkos et al need good alternatives to the vinyl and plastic bindings.
Now if only FedEx would raise their Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index score of 55%, which is an abysmal and paltry number for any company to have today!
Thank you so much for printing this story. We spent a long time in mostly adversarial campaigns against the big three companies in the sector - Staples, Office Depot, and OfficeMax. But we always highlighted the win-win nature of a good environmental policy and practices in terms of the companies' impact on the planet, public image and support of a growing green economy and kept the relationships cordial in even the tensest of times. This report tracks all of the progress the companies have made since releasing policies and shows the companies where there is room for improvement. We really appreciate TreeHugger sharing this with all of your incredible readers.