Office Depot and Domtar, the largest maker and marketer of office and printing paper in North America, announced that Domtar EarthChoice Office Paper is now widely available to customers in the U.S. through www.officedepot.com and through Office Depot's North America Business Solutions Division. The product will also be available in Office Depot retail stores in the U.S. in late July.
Domtar EarthChoice Office Paper meets the rigorous standards of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which is regarded as the "gold standard" of forest management by many businesses and environmental groups. FSC certification helps ensure forests are conserved through responsible management practices, such as legal wood harvesting, respect for the rights of workers and indigenous communities, and protection of wildlife habitats.
Domtar EarthChoice Office Paper is endorsed by the Rainforest Alliance, an organization that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices and developing markets for sustainable products. EarthChoice Office Paper is also quality-tested and competitively priced.
"Today, businesses are taking action to reduce their environmental footprint, and consumers are rewarding those companies," said Steve Barker, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Domtar. "EarthChoice Office Paper offers the highest forest management standard, while offering excellent value in terms of quality and price."
"Office Depot supports a number of major third-party forest
certification programs," said Yalmaz Siddiqui, Environmental Strategy
Advisor for Office Depot. "By adding FSC-certified office paper to our
assortment of environmentally-preferable products, we reinforce our
vision to increasingly
buy green, be green and sell green."
Support from the Environmental Community
-- Tensie Whelan, Executive Director of the Rainforest Alliance
"The Rainforest Alliance applauds this development that makes it simpler than ever for consumers and businesses to buy paper that comes from responsibly managed forests. Domtar should also be commended for its bold commitment to work toward FSC-certification of all its forests and operations."
-- Steve McCormick, President of The Nature Conservancy
"We and our conservation partners count on certification to verify and facilitate responsible forest management. Office Depot's introduction of FSC-certified office paper sends a very strong, positive market signal to industry and consumers alike. Office Depot is to be congratulated for its leadership."
FSC-Certified paper is also supported by a number of other environmental groups, including Greenpeace, ForestEthics and Dogwood Alliance.
Domtar EarthChoice Office Paper is available at www.officedepot.com and Office Depot's new Buy Green website at www.officedepot.com/buygreen.
For more information on Domtar EarthChoice Office Paper, visit www.domtarearthchoice.com.
