Office Depot’s Global Headquarters Earns EPA’s Energy Star® Certification for Second Consecutive Year

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services, today announced that the company’s global headquarters, located in Boca Raton, Fla., has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR certification for the second consecutive year. The certification signifies the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency.

“By pursuing EPA’s ENERGY STAR as well as the LEED Gold certification we already have at our headquarters, we further demonstrate our commitment to third party verification of environmental claims.”

"As part of Office Depot’s commitment to be greener, we continue to invest in energy efficiency,” said Yalmaz Siddiqui, Senior Director of Environmental Strategy for Office Depot. "By pursuing EPA’s ENERGY STAR as well as the LEED Gold certification we already have at our headquarters, we further demonstrate our commitment to third party verification of environmental claims.”

Commercial buildings that earn EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Energy-saving actions that Office Depot took to earn the ENERGY STAR certification at its headquarters included:

Changing 15,000 lights from 32 watt T5 lamps to more efficient 27 Watt T5 lamps for the building interior;
Changing parking garage lamps from 150-Watt metal-halide to 42-Watt fluorescents;
Reducing the number of lamps on during the daylight hours by 70 percent;
Reducing standard building operating hours from 66 to 60 hours per week.

By using some of the savings enabled by these measures, Office Depot purchased sufficient Renewable Energy Credits to establish its global headquarters as Carbon Neutral for 2012. In addition, Office Depot was recently recognized as an ENERGY STAR Leader for 2012, having become the first large retailer in the United States to achieve a verified portfolio-wide energy reduction of over 30 percent (compared to 2004).

Office Depot was ranked America’s Greenest Large Retailer by Newsweek for three consecutive years: 2010, 2011 and 2012. For more information on Office Depot’s environmental strategy, please visit www.officedepot.com/environment.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products as well as new homes and commercial and industrial buildings that meet strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved $18 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 34 million vehicles.

For more information about ENERGY STAR Certification for Commercial Buildings visit www.energystar.gov/labeledbuildings

About Office Depot

Office Depot provides office supplies and services through 1,629 worldwide retail stores, a dedicated sales force, top-rated catalogs, and global e-commerce operations. Office Depot has annual sales of approximately $10.7 billion, employs about 38,000 associates, and serves customers in 59 countries around the world.

Office Depot’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com and http://socialpress.officedepot.com/.