Re: [GreenYes] Recycled Content Office Supplies

[Laurenteen Morris <laurenteen@yahoo.com>]

 Actually, I prefer that recycled content products be
the norm with virgin products especially paper
products being phased out (if it's possible to make
compatible paper from 100% recycled content then why
not do it).  This would be a stronger position to
take.  What difference does it make if a franchise/
corporation offers one source/brand of recycled
content products but sells 100 sources say, made from
virgin materials?  
 It's a step in the right direction but I rather like
the idea of a store dedicating themselves so much to
the cause that they make the commitment to solely
offer environmentally friendly products (paper made
from paper, pencils made from waste paper/money,
plastic made from plastic etc).

Cheers,

Laurenteen

--- Peter Anderson <anderson@recycleworlds.net> wrote:
> 
> According to today's Wall Street Journal ("Staples'
> Recycled-Content Goal
> For Paper Items Triples to 30%, By JOSEPH PEREIRA
> and CHRISTOPHER J.
> CHIPELLO):
> 
> 
> "Staples Inc., under pressure from environmental
> activists, said it aims to
> more than triple the amount of recycled material in
> the paper products it
> sells -- a move that could pressure rival retailers
> to follow suit.
> The big Framingham, Mass., office-supply company
> also said it will phase out
> paper products sourced from "endangered forests" and
> intends to offer, by
> the end of 2006, only products made from forests
> certified as well-managed.
> Important elements of Staples' new environmental
> program remain to be
> determined. Staples didn't set a timetable for
> boosting the recycled content
> in its paper products to an average of 30% from less
> than 10%, noting that
> supply constraints, consumer demand and
> profitability would be factors. And
> the company said it continues to work with
> scientific consultants and
> environmentalists to figure out how it will define
> "endangered" forests.
> Still, environmentalists praised Tuesday's
> announcement as a major
> milestone. By setting the 30% target for recycled
> content, Staples "has put
> itself way ahead of the pack," said Todd Paglia of
> ForestEthics, a San
> Francisco environmental group that helped spearhead
> hundreds of
> demonstrations at Staples stores in the past two
> years. Other retailers are
> likely to follow Staples' lead, Mr. Paglia said.
> Office Depot Inc., Delray Beach, Fla., has been
> seeking to become more
> environmentally friendly for "a number of years" but
> has stepped up efforts
> over the past two years, said company spokeswoman
> Eileen Dunn. "Our overall
> recycled content is in the double digits," she said.
> OfficeMax Inc. plans to evaluate "some of the valid
> points that some of
> these [environmental] groups bring up," said Steve
> Baisden, a spokesman for
> the Shaker Heights, Ohio, retailer. Mr. Baisden said
> he wasn't sure what the
> overall percentage of recycled content is in the
> company's paper offerings."
> ...
> 
> ______________________________
> Peter Anderson
> RECYCLEWORLDS CONSULTING Corp
> 4513 Vernon Blvd. Suite 15
> Madison, WI 53705
> Ph:    (608) 231-1100
> Fax:   (608) 233-0011
> Cell    (608) 438-9062
> email: anderson@recycleworlds.net
> 
> 
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=====
Alumna '01 - International Environmental Policy Studies
Monterey Institute of International Studies 

The Cost of Preventing Waste is Near Zero. 

Laurenteen@yahoo.com
831-238-4169

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