Office Depot Greening Their Private-Label Business

Office Depot has announced the expansion of its environmental initiatives to the European market, increasing the number and volume of eco-friendly private-label brands sold in store.

The company has produced a ‘Green Book’ catalog of thousands of environmentally friendly products, including private-label biodegradable packaging, remanufactured ink cartridges, and a rechargeable alkaline battery.

“Being more green in the overall European market, and especially in the UK, is both legislative- and customer-driven,” said Marcel Jacobs, Office Depot’s manager for environmental strategy and marketing in Europe. “The European legislative landscape and customer demands and requirements are more stringent than in the United States.”

“It makes good business sense to know your customers and respond to their needs,” said Jackie Thompson, Office Depot’s environment manager for the United Kingdom and Ireland. “The UK market in general has become extremely focused on the environment, and so Office Depot UK has developed a proactive approach to responding to the increasing needs of our customers here.”

Office Depot also plans to unveil environmental efforts at the retailer’s 17 outlets in Hungary, launching brightly colored “green corners” as an environmentally conscious shopping experience.

“Hungary is the pioneer for this model of merchandizing green, and other countries will be watching closely,” said Marisa Bluestone, a company spokeswoman.