America’s Greenest Companies
From Office Dept to Accenture, these are the most earth-friendly companies in the U.S.
Paul Sakuma / AP Photo
Industry Sector: Retail
NEWSWEEK Green Score: 73.6%
Environmental Impact: 65.9%
Environmental Management: 80.6%
Transparency & Disclosure: 76.6%
Back in 2005, Office Depot invested more than $20 million in energy efficiency, which resulted in a carbon-dioxide emissions reduction of more than 10 percent within one year. Constructing green buildings (PDF) is also essential to the company’s environmental strategy. In 2008, Office Depot built the first LEED Gold-certified retail store in Austin. The company’s global headquarters became the first in the industry to be awarded the LEED Gold Certification for Existing Buildings. In 2008 and 2009, the company reduced greenhouse-gas emissions in transportation by 12 percent by replacing vehicles and using sophisticated software to help arrange routes more efficiently. In terms of sales, the company works hard to promote the sale of greener products. In 2003, it introduced The Green Book, a catalog that promotes more than 2,000 of the company’s most environmentally friendly products. Office Depot’s nearest competitor did not introduce a similar catalog until 2008.
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